Mechanical Monstrosity
by SeraphNeko
Summary: Chapter 6: Origins is officially done! Deep secrets are revealed, including the origin of Mecha Sonic, views of the past and future of the Chaos Wraith, and a council is held between the leaders of Mobius and Aiur.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Knuckles looked down, past the steel panels and pipes that made up the wings of the Tornado, and watched the explosive fury of the bombs that he'd just released. Orange and red clouds of superheated napalm caused the black, skeletal features of the xenomorph infestation to burst into fire themselves, spreading the chaos and destruction throughout the final hive, which had formerly been a bustling, highly-populated city, nicknamed the Metropolis because of its heavy activity.  
  
With a sigh of satisfaction, the crimson echidna gunned the engine, unlocking the trigger on the newly-installed chain gatling cannons. With a grimace of concentration, the muscular, gloved hand gripped the button on the modified control stick, unleashing a lethal hail of supersonic steel projectiles, a strangled humming rhythm that cut through the fleeing aliens' exoskeletons like a stone through water. Acidic blood slowly melted the earthy ground away, giving off the characteristic sulphurous fumes of corrosive liquids, and suddenly there was no movement anymore.  
  
Knuckles landed, running over several leathery pods and cutting up a white something that resembled some grotesque hybrid between spider and snake. Before any of the surviving xenomorphs could move to intercept the intruder, Knuckles pulled out a very impressive-looking, futuristic rifle from the back seat of the biplane, and let loose on the stunned infestation with a wave of intense thermal energy, burning away half of the dark population with a single, superheated blast of power.  
  
With a quick flick, the war-bred echidna opened a compartment in the gun, and faster than any eye could follow, removed a glowing red emerald from the hidden space, and installed a golden jewel, crackling with energy. Then, with a grin of anticipation, Knux ducked down and swept with his feet, knocking down one of the xenomorphs that had gotten too close. With a heave, the red wraith of vengeance tossed the creature by its tail, the writhing alien slamming into a large group of advancing monsters.  
  
Before they could get up, Knuckles thumbed the trigger again, this time producing a solid beam of energy, frying every molecule of their existence in one concentrated ray of electrical power. Before the last of the lethal attack had exited his weapon, Knuckles checked a monitor attached to the side of the firearm. Only one left! That'll be the Queen! Knuckles thought, once again changing the emerald, this time inserting a crystalline blue emerald, off of which immense amounts of steam were rising.  
  
Knuckles then proceeded to run straight into the heart of the decimated alien lair, turning passages and corridors through the slime-covered core of the Metropolis, before coming to a gigantic chamber, filled with weird mists that stank of death. With a smile of one who has waited forever for this moment, the echidna fired his gun again, this time letting out a cold tidal wave of sub-zero energy, freezing anything it contacted with. Most of which were alien eggs, leathery pods which spelled death for those who came too near them.  
  
Nodding with dutiful purpose, Knuckles once again switched his source of power, activating a green emerald, which didn't emit any glow or shine. With a quick leap, Knuckles shot upwards, landing on the Alien Queen's tubular head and jumping up again as its claws rent the air where he had stood. With a quick twist in mid-air, the echidna hit the trigger of the weapon, causing the barrel to emit a wave of sonic power, which ripped the earth apart behind the hideous matriarch of the infestation.  
  
Before he had landed, Knuckles loaded the purple emerald, and ducked as the Queen's tail lashed towards his head. With a flipping hop, the heavy feet of the ruby fighter landed solidly on the extended weapon of the evil creature, cracking bones and snapping it in an awkward way, and causing it to pull back in pain. With a deft movement, the echidna launched a galestorm of unbelievable force at the Queen, sending it flying backwards into the abyssal chasm that the previous attack had opened. With a shriek of rage, the insect-like behemoth plummeted downward, falling straight into the very core of Mobius, incinerated in an instant.  
  
Knuckles laughed with relief: the nightmare was finally over, with the death of the Alien Queen and its spawn. With a yell of joy, the echidna raced out of the rumbling hive, holding a silver gem in his gloved hand. With a flash, the mighty warrior's crimson body became as metallic as the exposed walls of the Metropolis, and with little effort he smashed through the thick steel barriers, making his way towards the biplane.  
  
A few weeks earlier, Sonic the Hedgehog, leader of the resistance, had destroyed a larger alien hive, the master hive at Mechanopolis, where the crazed killing machine, Mecha Sonic, had enslaved the relentless alien species for his purposes. Sonic had committed the ultimate sacrifice, destroying the entire hive at the cost of his own life. Knuckles wiped away the white tears that trickled down his charred, scraped and bruised face.  
  
"Finally, it's all over! Peace can now be restored!" With a weary look on his scarred and battle-worn face, the only survivor of the most grisly war in the history of Mobius flew off to Floating Island, his home, to enact the final phase of the beginning of the Mobian rebirth...  
  
*****  
  
Elsewhere in the universe, an evil presence was making its way towards the planet. A destructive force of unimaginable, ravenous darkness was about to make itself known to the galaxy. Close behind, a second, enigmatic power pursued the strange forces with grim determination. Another war was brewing, but this time, it would rage across the cosmos, and would bring out hidden sides in every soul. Fear & hope, rage & calm, love and hatred; all would soon collide in a cataclysmic battle of destiny and fate. The stars would cross paths, and some would be absorbed by the cold emptiness of the void, but times of great happenings were fast approaching, and none would be prepared for the ordeal ahead. 


	2. Resurrection

Mechanical Monstrosity Chapter 1: Resurrection By Chibi Trunks  
  
A Sonic the Hedgehog/Starcraft Crossover Fanfic  
  
I would like to thank the following people for inspiring me to create this fanfic: Persona, for that wonderful peace of work on the Alien Conflict (that was the worst fic I've ever read!) Blizzard Entertainment, for creating Starcraft, Brood Wars, Diablo, Hellfire and the Warcraft Series! SEGA, for the creation of Sonic, Knuckles and Tails (Mecha Sonic, too! He's wicked). Archie Comics, for the addition of Sally, Amy and the rest of the gang! Japanese Animations, for the creation of such great cartoons such as Gundam Wing, Dragonball Z and Escaflowne. Vegeta (from the show), since he's cool and has a great sense of humour! Alien Conflict, for giving me something to harass and flame until my computer breaks down from overuse! Whose Line Is It Anyway, for providing the funniest TV show on Earth! My final thanks go to the author who decided to MiST this fanfic (a friend of mine). Can't wait to read it! Also, I'd just like to mention that Redwall has allowed for another TV series, based on Martin the Warrior. Not that anyone cares, but I just happen to like the Redwall Saga, and I'm only missing a couple of books altogether! It's on Saturday, at 7:00 PM, and Monday at 6:30, just in case anyone wants to know.  
  
Now, to begin Mechanical Monstrosity! Prologue  
  
Knuckles looked down, past the steel panels and pipes that made up the wings of the Tornado, and watched the explosive fury of the bombs that he'd just released. Orange and red clouds of superheated napalm caused the black, skeletal features of the xenomorph infestation to burst into fire themselves, spreading the chaos and destruction throughout the final hive, which had formerly been a bustling, highly-populated city, nicknamed the Metropolis because of its heavy activity.  
  
With a sigh of satisfaction, the crimson echidna gunned the engine, unlocking the trigger on the newly-installed chain gatling cannons. With a grimace of concentration, the muscular, gloved hand gripped the button on the modified control stick, unleashing a lethal hail of supersonic steel projectiles, a strangled humming rhythm that cut through the fleeing aliens' exoskeletons like a stone through water. Acidic blood slowly melted the earthy ground away, giving off the characteristic sulphurous fumes of corrosive liquids, and suddenly there was no movement anymore.  
  
Knuckles landed, running over several leathery pods and cutting up a white something that resembled some grotesque hybrid between spider and snake. Before any of the surviving xenomorphs could move to intercept the intruder, Knuckles pulled out a very impressive-looking, futuristic rifle from the back seat of the biplane, and let loose on the stunned infestation with a wave of intense thermal energy, burning away half of the dark population with a single, superheated blast of power.  
  
With a quick flick, the war-bred echidna opened a compartment in the gun, and faster than any eye could follow, removed a glowing red emerald from the hidden space, and installed a golden jewel, crackling with energy. Then, with a grin of anticipation, Knux ducked down and swept with his feet, knocking down one of the xenomorphs that had gotten too close. With a heave, the red wraith of vengeance tossed the creature by its tail, the writhing alien slamming into a large group of advancing monsters.  
  
Before they could get up, Knuckles thumbed the trigger again, this time producing a solid beam of energy, frying every molecule of their existence in one concentrated ray of electrical power. Before the last of the lethal attack had exited his weapon, Knuckles checked a monitor attached to the side of the firearm. Only one left! That'll be the Queen! Knuckles thought, once again changing the emerald, this time inserting a crystalline blue emerald, off of which immense amounts of steam were rising.  
  
Knuckles then proceeded to run straight into the heart of the decimated alien lair, turning passages and corridors through the slime-covered core of the Metropolis, before coming to a gigantic chamber, filled with weird mists that stank of death. With a smile of one who has waited forever for this moment, the echidna fired his gun again, this time letting out a cold tidal wave of sub-zero energy, freezing anything it contacted with. Most of which were alien eggs, leathery pods which spelled death for those who came too near them.  
  
Nodding with dutiful purpose, Knuckles once again switched his source of power, activating a green emerald, which didn't emit any glow or shine. With a quick leap, Knuckles shot upwards, landing on the Alien Queen's tubular head and jumping up again as its claws rent the air where he had stood. With a quick twist in mid-air, the echidna hit the trigger of the weapon, causing the barrel to emit a wave of sonic power, which ripped the earth apart behind the hideous matriarch of the infestation.  
  
Before he had landed, Knuckles loaded the purple emerald, and ducked as the Queen's tail lashed towards his head. With a flipping hop, the heavy feet of the ruby fighter landed solidly on the extended weapon of the evil creature, cracking bones and snapping it in an awkward way, and causing it to pull back in pain. With a deft movement, the echidna launched a galestorm of unbelievable force at the Queen, sending it flying backwards into the abyssal chasm that the previous attack had opened. With a shriek of rage, the insect-like behemoth plummeted downward, falling straight into the very core of Mobius, incinerated in an instant.  
  
Knuckles laughed with relief: the nightmare was finally over, with the death of the Alien Queen and its spawn. With a yell of joy, the echidna raced out of the rumbling hive, holding a silver gem in his gloved hand. With a flash, the mighty warrior's crimson body became as metallic as the exposed walls of the Metropolis, and with little effort he smashed through the thick steel barriers, making his way towards the biplane.  
  
A few weeks earlier, Sonic the Hedgehog, leader of the resistance, had destroyed a larger alien hive, the master hive at Mechanopolis, where the crazed killing machine, Mecha Sonic, had enslaved the relentless alien species for his purposes. Sonic had committed the ultimate sacrifice, destroying the entire hive at the cost of his own life. Knuckles wiped away the white tears that trickled down his charred, scraped and bruised face.  
  
"Finally, it's all over! Peace can now be restored!" With a weary look on his scarred and battle-worn face, the only survivor of the most grisly war in the history of Mobius flew off to Floating Island, his home, to enact the final phase of the beginning of the Mobian rebirth...  
  
*****  
  
Elsewhere in the universe, an evil presence was making its way towards the planet. A destructive force of unimaginable, ravenous darkness was about to make itself known to the galaxy. Close behind, a second, enigmatic power pursued the strange forces with grim determination. Another war was brewing, but this time, it would rage across the cosmos, and would bring out hidden sides in every soul. Fear & hope, rage & calm, love and hatred; all would soon collide in a cataclysmic battle of destiny and fate. The stars would cross paths, and some would be absorbed by the cold emptiness of the void, but times of great happenings were fast approaching, and none would be prepared for the ordeal ahead.  
  
----------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1: Resurrection -----------------------------------------------------  
  
Oftimes I ask myself if this war is necessary, why we all must suffer such pain for the sake of a world that has been wrecked beyond repair. We have suffered through mechanical and stellar threats, and at times I feel that we'd be better off leaving, to explore the stars and planets of the universe until we found peace. Then I see the one I was destined to be with forever, standing proudly in the gardens of our desecrated home, weeping for our lost friends, and I realize we are not stying here for the planet. It is because we keep the memories of our lives closest to the place we call home, and that we can never leave, because this is where we lived, and died, and lived again.  
  
Excerpt from the journals of Sonic the Hedgehog, leader of the Mobian Resistance.  
  
Knothole had finally emerged victorious over the alien forces that had overrun the planet. Knuckles, having fought the creatures alongside the Freedom Fighters, had managed to collect the Chaos Emeralds from the remains of the Floating Island, where the first battle had taken place.  
  
Knuckles, his crimson fur blackened from the continued use of flame- throwers and grenades, placed the gems in their respective slots, a solemn, faraway look in his eyes. Then, with a wild roar Knuckles released an explosion of energy, as the power of the Emeralds was unleashed, engulfing the planet in glowing white light. Wherever the light touched, buildings were restored to their old condition, and those who had lost their lives in the war had regenerated. Soon enough, everyone on Mobius who had been killed by the creatures were taking stock of their surroundings and rejoicing!  
  
Miles 'Tails' Prower rose up from the floor of his hut, looking around quickly and not believing he had survived. Then, with a shout of joy, he flew over to see where the others were. Eventually he caught sight of the Floating Island, where he began his search for the other Freedom Fighters. Within a few moments, Tails entered the mystical land of the Emeralds, and immediately caught sight of Knuckles, nearby the Tornado.  
  
"KNUX!" Tails yelled out in joy at seeing the Echidna sitting on the wings of the red bi-plane. "What happened?" The fox asked as he entered the old plane. Knuckles grabbed tightly onto the wings as Tails took off at full speed, flying high in the air. "I've revived everyone with the power of the Chaos Emeralds. They should be close behind!" Knuckles had barely finished answering Tails as Espio, Charmy, Mighty and Vector came racing up on personalized hoverboards [excepting Charmy, 'cause he flies]. They quickly caught up with Knuckles and Tails, and Knuckles immediately gave directions to Tails. "Head to the Acorn Royal Palace. That's where the final confrontation took place, between Mecha Sonic and the last three of us!"  
  
Sally Acorn dropped her gun and stood up, seeing only the old capital where her family had ruled. Tears streamed unbidden from her eyes as she ran towards the palace, shouting out Sonic's name as she seeked the creature she was fated to stay with!  
  
Amy Rose woke up almost instantly, feeling cold, as if she had been frozen for some time. She laid on the ground, unable to see in the dark, unlit chamber, shivering for an unknown reason, meekly calling out one word.  
  
"Tails?"  
  
A gloved hand rose slowly, twitching slightly from fatigue. Discarding the weaponry and gear he'd been wearing over the deep blue fur that was his trademark, the leader of the Freedom Fighters slowly picked himself up off of the marble floors of the Royal Palace of the Acorn Family. With a quick eye, he managed to take stock of the situation: Sonic the Hedgehog was back to life! Also, he noted with interest that he was standing in Sally's former home, the Royal Palace itself! Sonic immediately raced around the halls, using every bit of speed he could muster without damaging the area, to find the rest.  
  
"Hello? Anyone?" Sonic heard a voice in the distance. It sounded remarkably familiar: Sally Acorn! Sonic now lost regard of the scenery: he raced full speed towards the sound of Sally's voice. "SALLY!" Sonic yelled at the top of his lungs, as he burst into the throne room. Standing in the center of the room, tear-stained and decidedly more mature-looking, was Sally Acorn. Sally whirled around and grabbed hold of Sonic, holding him tightly as if she would never let go!  
  
"God, I missed you! How are we still here? What happened to the land?" Sally simply squeezed him tighter and sobbed, caught in between a laugh and a cry. "Let's not question a good thing!" Sally managed to smile as her face neared his. Just as their lips met, though, a huge whooping cheer rang out throughout the chamber, echoing off of the intricately patterned walls. Tails, Knuckles, Rotor, Antoine, Bunnie and the Chaotix stood in the doorway, cheering wildly as the couple kissed. Sally blushed deeply, and Sonic's hair went a lovely crimson, as Knuckles went up and congratulated the two, supported by Mighty. "Old memories are the best! Even after all we've been through, we all managed to get back together again!"  
  
Sonic looked quizzically at Knuckles, as Mighty explained. "Sonic, Knuckles invoked the power of the Chaos Emeralds, and has restored the lives lost during the wars, and the planet's been restored. Knuckles is also quite exhausted: it took most of his life force to control the power needed." Sonic shook hands with the Echidna, and Sally embraced him as a brother. Then Tails piped up, after a moment of thought.  
  
"Hold on! Where's Amy?" Before anyone could answer, Tails shot off through the corridors to the west, flying at full speed. Sonic and Sally immediately got a plan set. "Alright! Sonic, you go catch up with Tails and search the west wing. Me 'n Charmy will take the east wing. Mighty and Vector can search the North Wing, and the South Wing can be checked by Rotor and Antoine. Knuckles, you stay here with Espio and Bunnie, in case Amy passes this way! Got it?" Everyone nodded, and needed no second bidding. They all raced off, excepting Knuckles, Espio and Bunnie, who passed time by comparing the events each had gone through, and the odd feeling of passing on.  
  
"What's it like, being dead?" Knuckles asked Bunnie, as they watched Rotor and Antoine leave to search for Amy. Bunnie thought for a bit, then answered in as straight forward a manner as possible. "Well, for me, it just felt really hot, almost like I had been thrown into the sun. Then, it just became incredibly cold, and I found myself back in Knothole, without my robotic parts. Sally, Sonic, Tails, and the rest of the gang were all there, too! I couldn't reach them, though"  
  
"That's what it felt like for me, too!" Espio exclaimed, then continued, "But, I saw Mighty, Vector and Charmy instead." Knuckles contemplated this revelation, then wondered what his own death would feel like...  
  
"So, what happened to you, Rotor?" Antoine said, not entirely trusting the mechanic after the betrayal. Rotor shook his head and removed a small steel bolt from one of his pockets. "See this?" Rotor waved the small machine in front of Antoine's face. Rotor continued on. "Well, it's a neural robotic link. Mecha Sonic fired it at Sonic after he shot Snivley, and I happened to be in the line of fire. While this thing was attached to my head, Mecha Sonic had complete control over my actions!" Antoine nodded and understood, still a little disoriented from his lethal experience.  
  
Sally walked around her former home, checking every room and hiding place she knew of. As former princess of the palace, she knew the entire area, inside and out. Charmy flew close behind, keeping an ear open for instructions. "I sure hope Amy's alright!" Sally thought aloud to Charmy. Charmy agreed as they searched the vast royal garden. "She's quite sensitive, so recent events may have her scared and isolated." Both of them called out Amy's name again, the walls echoing the voices uselessly around the east wing.  
  
Sonic found Tails in the stateroom of Acorn Palace. The fox was searching rather thorougly, checking every column, chair and table for Amy. Sonic thought for a bit before calling out to him. "Yo, bro! I think I know where she might be!" Tails immediately grabbed onto Sonic's hand as Sonic revved up and blasted full speed through the long corridors, eventually reaching a locked door, with a crest bearing a glowing blue sapphire. Tails then heard a faint voice, which barely escaped through the thick wooden gate. Before Sonic could say anything, Tails rolled up into a ball, revved up to full power, and let loose a Tails Tornado Spin, blasting the obstacle into timbers and splinters. Sonic rushed in shortly after, and followed Tails to a small corner of the room.  
  
"Amy? What's wrong?" Tails was huddled close to a shivering figure, almost as small as the fox cub. The youngest of the Freedom Fighters rocked Amy's head in his lap, trying to comfort the frightened hedgehog between tears. Sonic stood silently, watching his best friend cradling the person he had always secretly considered his little sister, and blinked back a tear of joy.  
  
"Those two are just like Sally and me." Sonic thought as he watched them quietly. "Tails would do anything to protect Amy." He was jarred out of his thoughts by a sudden scream. Turning back around, Sonic saw Amy leap up and suddenly notice the presence of Tails, as if she had been stirred awake from some incomprehensible nightmare. Tails backed away, giving her room to breathe as Sonic came into view.  
  
"Where am I?" Amy asked, with a frightened tone in her voice. "What is this place?" Before either of them could answer, Amy swooned, passing out as if she had just seen Death. Tails lifted her and cried softly, and Sonic sped back to the others, telling them where Amy was. Sonic was back in little less than a minute, and the others followed after a while. Amy still laid in Tails' arms, shivering in her dreamless sleep.  
  
Sally and Bunnie helped Tails carry the unconscious hedgehog into a nearby bedroom, and went to work taking stock of their medical supplies. Sally and Rotor, being the most educated of the team, worked in the libraries and studies to find out the cause for Amy's sickness. Knuckles was put in another room, where the Chaotix kept themselves occupied by answering Knuckles' questions and enquiries about the afterlife, and their own experiences. Bunnie and Antoine helped Amy in any way they could, frequently bringing in damp cloths and warm blankets to keep her comfortable.  
  
Sonic and Tails, not able to help much, walked around the palace, sharing their own experiences and feelings with each other. "So, little bro! What'll you do with your life, once we all go on?" Tails thought for a bit, unsure of how to answer that. Finally, after a brief silence, Tails thought of the words to say.  
  
"Well, Sonic, I've always had something of a soft spot for, well..." Tails blushed, unable to speak his mind through sheer embarrassment. Sonic simply shrugged and smiled, ruffling the fox's shock of hair as he finished the thought. "Amy, right? I noticed when we found her earlier. You would do anything for her, just like I'd do anything for Sally." Tails nodded, relieved and glad to have someone as understanding as Sonic as a friend. "Anyways, I'm thinking that Amy needs someone to lean on. She's sensitive and, yet, assertive. When we get back, I'll fix up a couple of dozen chili dogs, and a banana split, and I'll see if I can help you with Amy."  
  
Tails laughed aloud, for the first time in months. "You still can't get your mind off of chili dogs, can you? I betcha Aunt Sally'll probably give you a right telling-off about weight loss, something along the lines of "SONIC! For god's sake, lay off the chili dogs! You're gonna end up looking like a blue Robotnik within a couple of weeks." Sonic burst out in uncontrolled hysterics, holding his sides from the sheer thought of it.  
  
"Yeah, I can see it now!" Sonic managed to gasp between chuckles. "She'd probably beat the bulk outta me in five minutes flat!" Tails and Sonic laughed for a while after that, exchanging cracks and thoughts, when Sonic's watch beeped. His laughter cut off by the loud alarm, Sonic tapped the receiver, inwardly surprised that the connection in their equipment was still working. "Yeah, what's up?" Sonic was caught off guard by the emotion in Sally's usually level tone.  
  
"Sonic, you & Tails better get back here quick! Get back to the infirmary, quick!" Sonic grabbed on to Tails, and raced towards the infirmary, meeting up with Sally in front of the main ward. Sonic immediately gave her a 'what's goin' on, Sally?' look. Sally did her level best to keep her voice calm and ordinary, but the tears in her eyes were making it difficult.  
  
"Knuckles. He passed on just a few moments ago." Sonic brushed past Sally, and his eyes watered at the sight. Vector, Mighty, Charmy & Espio all wept silently around their only true friend, who lay in the bed with a calm, peaceful look on his face. Sonic turned around, trying to hide his sadness, but though the Chaotix didn't see him, Sally and Tails did. They all held hands, sitting together as Sally continued her report.  
  
"Amy's fine. She's just in shock. When she was killed, she did not join our spirits in our idea of heaven. Her soul was seperated from us, and sent someplace different. Amy was isolated from us, and her older memories of loneliness after the disappearance of her kin returned with serious effects on her." Tails then decided that he had to tell them about his own experience.  
  
"Sally. I know how Amy feels now. When I died, I wasn't with you guys, either. I was in a different place, a strange land. There were sounds of battle: explosions, screams, and wierd, alien growls. I think that it may have been some kind of message, but I didn't want to mention it around Amy." Tails went quiet for a while, and they all thought deeply, until a synchronized cry of alarm broke their silence.  
  
"What in Chaos..." Sonic managed to yell, as a bright light emanated from the Chaotix' room. They burst in to find Knuckles enveloped in a pure beam of light. The Chaotix backed away, pushed to the wall by some unknown force. Before Sonic could dash forward, or Tails could jump in to help, Knuckles disappeared, and the light rose upwards, fading from existence. Everyone present immediately ran towards the window and gazed at the sight before their eyes.  
  
In the sky was a gigantic monolith of steel, almost twice the size of the Acorn Royal Palace. The huge object hovered above the sun, blocking the light for miles. It was almost like some huge sea vessel, pill-shaped and built from some golden metal that did not shine. Around it flew several smaller ships, which resembled miniscule claws. They all flew remarkably fast, swarming around the larger ship like some pack of wasps around their hive.  
  
They converged on another flying object, a bulbous living sac of flesh, which might have been some flying beetle, excepting the fact that it had almost twenty different appendages, and was carrying at least half-a-dozen creatures, similar in look to the aliens that had infested Mobius, only they had no legs, and their claws represented long spikes. The mechanical aggressors unleashed a flurry of blue energy bolts, which burned the larger creature in a matter of moments, causing it to drop its live cargo.  
  
Before the bestial forces could recover, a second wave of machines was sent, but these were far different from the aerial fighters. These robotic creations were like gigantic steel spiders, with a strange glowing orb that might have been its head, if it hadn't been for the fact that the sphere was unleashing blasts of pure destructive energy into the ranks of the offending creatures. One of the creatures disappeared as it was hit full force by a stray blast, vaporized in an instant. The rest of the creatures began their own attack, opening compartments in their durable exo-skeletons to reveal an uncountable array of long, dense spikes.  
  
The spider-mechs continued to pummel their enemy with odd energy blasts, even as their prey unleashed a deadly hail of lethal spines from afar, puncturing several of the modern war machines and piercing the large ship severely. A couple of the walking tanks exploded in a ball of blue energy, which dissipated harmlessly after a short time. Eventually, though, the numbers decided the outcome of the battle, and the creatures had all been wiped out.  
  
Sonic, Tails and the rest all watched in fascination as the victorious robots simply disappeared, similar to the way Knuckles had, and the flying fighters simply flew into huge bays in the larger ship. Then, before they could blink, the carrier glowed with a blue light and seemed to expand, the strange energies crackling as they accumulated. As Sonic and the rest ran towards the Tornado, the anomaly seemed to burst into white flame, disappearing almost instantly.  
  
Sonic, Sally and Tails, along with the Chaotix, just stood there for a while, attempting to take in the events that had just taken place. They didn't ponder long, though, as a gigantic behemoth of a monster burst through one of the thick outer walls, shattering it to rubble in seconds. The creature might have been some form of oversized beetle, except for the thick bone sickle blades protruding from either end of its monstrous head.  
  
Reacting rather quickly, Charmy and Tails took to the skies, as Sally leapt into the Tornado's pilot seat. "Right, hold on!" She yelled, as Sonic, Mighty and Espio latched on to the wings. With a little coaxing, she got the plane off the ground, as the gargantuan beast slashed at the ground where they had been, driving its arm blades deep into the earth. It gave off a deep rumble, the ground underneath it cracking from the pressure of its stomping legs. Sally immediately executed a horizontal turn in the compact bi-plane, the wings barely missing the grass-covered floor as she streaked past the hulking berserker's head.  
  
"We've got to get the others!" Sonic yelled above the roaring engine. "There's bound to be more of them!" As Sonic finished this statement, Bunnie, Rotor and Antoine ran out of the palace, holding the still- unconscious Amy between them. Tails & Charmy swooped down and lifted Amy clear, as a wave of vicious-looking aliens came towards the three on the ground. They were fast, covering ground quickly and leaping huge distances towards their prey. They resembled large dog-like insects, with four powerful legs and a deadly pair of razor mandibles. They also sported a pair of mean-looking serrated claws.  
  
Rotor grabbed the other two and jumped, catching the wheel-bar under the Tornado as they flew overhead. The creatures in front jumped incredibly high, their jaws barely missing Antoine's leg, as the Freedom Fighters flew off towards Floating Island. Those who had jumped skidded along the ground towards the first hulking behemoth, who retaliated by stepping on the first four and slashing the remainder of them to bits with its horrific weapons.  
  
"What do we do now?" Tails asked, still carrying the stunned hedgehog. Sonic grimaced and thought for a while, then climbed into the seat behind Sally. Sally smiled grimly, and slowed down the plane, her knuckles cracking audibly as she piloted towards their destination. A fire was in her eyes, one that everyone understood. Death was coming to call on them, so they'd have to break his skeletal arm once again. Only this time, the limb is thicker and more experienced, from past encounters.  
  
"Well, since the palace is infested, we'll have to go and get some equipment. Then, we can go perform some extermination." The rest nodded and braced themselves for whatever fate would bring in store for them. Destiny had laid another heavy hand on the Freedom Fighters of Mobius. This time, though, the greatest weight of that hand may be pressing against any of them. Who will be crushed, and who will slip through the grasping fingers of veiled destiny  
  
*****  
  
Back at the palace, a pair of eyes flickered for a moment, then strobed into life, giving off an eerie neon glow. Steel plates shifted, and rubble blasted in every direction as the being stood up, bending and flexing its metallic limbs and head experimentally, and nodding in satisfaction. "The self-repair mechanism had worked perfectly." The lone entity thought to itself. Before long, though, it heard the sounds of the alien infestation approaching. Without a second glance, the iron fighter leaped into the air and unleashed a blast of pure light, sending sparks everywhere as its titanium-plated body became sheathed in a golden layer of armor.  
  
"Right! About time I wasn't here!" The shining robot yelled, and from his spiked steel boots a jetting stream of energy was unleashed into the ground, incinerating the aliens that burst through the door and creating a gigantic crater in the area, knocking over walls and sending anything nearby flying through any obstacles, and Mecha Sonic burst through the thick ceiling, laughing maniacally as he streaked mechanically towards the signature of the Master Emerald.  
  
The End  
  
So, after the passing on of Knuckles, the evil Zerg have attacked Mobius, and though the mysterious Protoss managed to delay their efforts, and also kept Knuckles' body from falling into their hands, an evil presence has made itself known in the Royal Palace, desecrating the beloved home of Sally Acorn. Barely escaping the deadly assault on their home, carrying in tow the unconscious Amy Rose, the remaining Freedom Fighters (Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles 'Tails' Prower, Sally Acorn, Rotor, Antoine, and Bunnie Rabbot) along with the Chaotix (Charmy, Espio, Vector, and Mighty) have agreed to return to Floating Island to arm themselves for another war. But with Mecha Sonic, charged with the power of one of the emeralds, hot on their trail, and the ravenous Zerg rampaging around the planet, will they succeed? Read the next chapter of Mechanical Monstrosity to find out: Sacrifices! 


	3. Sacrifices

Mechanical Monstrosity Chapter 2: Sacrifices By Chibi Trunks  
  
A Sonic the Hedgehog/Starcraft Crossover Fanfic  
  
This fanfic is the second chapter of a series of fanfics. It continues from the ending of Resurrection, the first chapter, and will make a lot more sense if you read #1 first. In the case of inaccessibility, I've added a summary of Resurrection to get you started. Also, look for Alien Conflict, the fanfic I used to create this series. Try the Mystery Saiyan Theatre by Persona for this fanfic.  
  
After the insurrection of the alien presence on Mobius, Knuckles used the power of the Chaos Emeralds to revive all those lost in the war (Sonic, Tails, Sally, Amy, Rotor, Antoine, Bunnie and the Chaotix, in particular). They all meet up in the renewed Acorn Royal Palace, and after the reuniting of Sally and Sonic, Tails flies off to find Amy. Amy is found eventually, and though she has been revived, she is in shock. However, another blow is added: the passing of Knuckles, due to the awesome fatigue of the war combined with the loss of energy from the usage of the emeralds.  
  
Worse still, another series of events soon unravels: Knuckles disappears in a glowing blue light, and the palace is attacked by a new breed of aliens! While some of them are vaporized by a mysterious starship, the true danger was revealed when a horde of creatures overwhelmed the palace! Acting quickly, Tails and Charmy evacuate the unconscious Amy, while Sally & Sonic escape the area in the Tornado, along with the rest of the Freedom Fighters.  
  
They are now headed to Floating Island, where Knuckles and the Emeralds originated from. But a new danger is coming: Mecha Sonic has also been restored, and is searing with emerald power! Worse still, the mechanical warrior is hot on the Sonic Crew's trail!  
  
By the way, Martin the Warrior had a pretty crummy ending: The death of Martin's only love, Rose, is really harsh (not as harsh as Alien Conflict, but more cruel, in a sense).  
  
Now, to begin Mechanical Monstrosity! ------------------------------------------------ Chapter 2: Sacrifices  
  
Again, my fanfics are MiSTing-approved, so don't be shy! Just remember that credit goes where it's due!  
  
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"Why did we all die, Aunt Sally?" Tails asked me this when we were safe inside the Hidden Palace. I looked at him and, blinking back a tear of sadness, replied "Tails... Knuckles, Sonic, and the rest of us too, all died for a purpose! We died defending the people we love, and protecting those who couldn't defend themselves! Mighty believed that, and gave his life again to save us, so we remember him as a true friend. All we can do is remember..." I could think of no more to say, but Tails nodded, tears of his own trickling unbidden down the side of his snow-white face. We embraced as family, comforting each other in the dark reality of war...  
  
Excerpt of Sally Acorn's diary, after the Wraith's Awakening, Mar 13.  
  
Sally guided the Tornado into a shaded jungle grove, just south of the Hidden Palace where Knuckles had kept the Chaos Emeralds safe from the wrong hands. The Chaotix took the lead, as they knew the place better than any Freedom Fighter, clearing a path with a set of stainless metal swords they had picked up from the palace armory. Sonic set about cutting a nearby tree down with his Sonic Spin Attack, converting it to a flat board in short time. With some of the strong, soft leaves that grew in the area, it made an adequate stretcher for Amy.  
  
With Tails' help, the hedgehog leader of the resistance lifted Amy onto the stretcher and set it gently down on the rustling grass, watching for signs of any incoming visitors. It didn't take long, though: Before long, the bulky, muscular form of Mighty emerged from the brush into the clearing, gesturing for Sonic's team to follow him. They all got moving, while Tails, Sonic and Rotor brought up the rear, getting ready to support the stretcher bearing Amy.  
  
Tails immediately rushed to grab one end of the makeshift device, but Sonic shook his head. "Lil' bro, me 'n Rotor can carry Amy. You watch her to make sure she doesn't fall." Tails nodded solemnly, and moved aside as they lifted the unconscious hedgehog and bore her into the jungle, following Mighty's deep tracks. Tails held her hand as they walked through the thick foliage, which unveiled a trail of cut branches and fallen tree limbs.  
  
Suddenly, something glinted in the distance. Before anyone could say anything, Sally signalled for silence, and climbed up a nearby tree, with the acrobatic ease that suited her species. Before long she hopped back down, whispering in a low, excited tone. "It's that giant spaceship that attacked the aliens back at the palace!" Sally exclaimed. "What do you think we should do, Sonic? Can we trust them?" Sonic noticed in a corner of his mind that every eye was turned towards him. He nodded quickly, an experienced glint in the black, beady eyes.  
  
"Yeah, we might be able to work with these guys, whatever they are!" Sonic was not too worried, showing that he was still prepared for anything. "We have a common enemy, and they helped save us!" Everyone agreed, and the troupe set off again, following the trail that had been cleared by the Chaotix. Sonic remembered it from pure experience: he had passed through these hills before, during the early times when the land had been called Angel Island. Soon, they would be going through the Lava Reef, an underground volcano which lead to the hidden palace.  
  
*****  
  
Mecha Sonic saw the island, and was relieved: The emerald was beginning to lose its timed burst of power! With a crackle of electricity, the robotic warrior punched his engines into overdrive, flaring towards the island at top speeds, circling and gliding in anticipation of the battles to come. However, before he reached the island, a flurry of blue energy bolts seared towards him. With a curse of surprise, Mecha Sonic veered upward, watching the beams go harmlessly under him.  
  
With a surprised look on his face, the modernized fighter looked ahead, his enhanced eyesight picking out the advancing fleet of golden armored spacecraft. With a grin, the machine blasted forward, roaring playfully as he dodged the plasma blasts like he was playing a game of 1 on 1000 air- based dodgeball. "HAHAHA! YES! A scuffle! Come on, betcha can't hit me!" Mecha Sonic was actually enjoying himself, evading the deadly attack and laughing like a kid. Battle was his reason for existence, and he liked nothing better than defying certain death.  
  
Suddenly, his sensors flared, picking up a large number of familiar lifesigns. With a quick flick of his head, he immediately began to register their statistics against his own indestructible memory banks, checking off each group of them as he continued to dodge and weave against the energy onslaught of the alien starfighters. This was far more interesting, and much less tiring, than playing dogfight with a bunch of space toys.  
  
"Now, that'll be three of the echidna's Chaotix," Mecha Sonic mentally noted the position of Charmy, Espio and Vector, just outside of the central mountain. "And down there, that's the armadillo, the ground-squirrel princess, the hybrid rabbit, and the stupid one." Mecha Sonic had a few scores to settle with Sally, so he kept that position fresh in his memory. His eyes flashed as his sensor picked up the next group.  
  
"The fox-cub, the walrus, and another sign. The female hedgehog, Amy, experiencing some form of shock." Finally, Mecha Sonic's sensors registered the final life signature, and then something strangely close to hate, mixed with definite disbelief, raced through the golden fighter's being. He stopped on a dime as a wired nerve short-circuited. "IMPOSSIBLE! THE HEDGEHOG'S ALIVE?" Mecha Sonic's flawless memory banks blurred backwards, to the orb in Sonic's hand. 'The creature was at his feet, wounded and dying, then something appeared in his hand. Wait... that pin... "DON'T PULL THAT..." the iron hedgehog roared, then went calm again, returning to his silent remembrance, slightly shaking. An explosion, a deafening, roaring fire, a searing heat that smashed me apart. Systems failed, and I was offline, in pieces. This feeling, what is it? Pain... The Hedgehog hurt me?  
  
With a wild, heart-rending shriek, Mecha Sonic's robotic mind snapped, as emotions raced through the limited systems of the war machine, overloading every ounce of control that the self-proclaimed ultimate warrior had placed to prevent his sadistic, mechanical self from emerging. Pain and fear blasted the emotionally-torn android, and the bright neon eyes of Mecha Sonic became as crimson as the sun itself. The bright, golden armor darkened, becoming black as the abyssal emptiness that was hidden beneath his iron shell. Several plasma streams converged on the midnight flyer, only to be absorbed by a sphere of crackling purple power.  
  
Mecha Sonic then yelled, his anger and hate taking over, unleashing a powerful explosion of dark energy that radiated from the burning core of his long-regulated nightmares. The fighters themselves became black as night, engulfed by the evil power that had emerged from the obsidian warrior, before they themselves let off spherical explosions, ripped apart by the deadly force behind the attack, blue plasma expanding wide before it dissipated in the atmosphere, leaving no trace of their existence.  
  
Sally noticed the lights and looked upwards. Sure enough, the mothership had sent those smaller fighters out again. But what were they attacking. Quick as a flash, Sally scaled the length of the tallest tree around, scanning the area where the fire had been directed. The dark shadow in the distance was barely visible, but the flaring magenta energy trails behind it were easy to see, even at that range. Without warning, a much larger, darker sphere filled her vision, growing and forming above the shadow. More by instinct, the ground squirrel leaped to a more distant branch, and just in time, as a black orb of energy shot towards the tree where she had been watching from, engulfing it in a black, searing flame, before causing it to explode from the heat.  
  
Sally cautiously peeked her head up from where she was ducking in the branches, then swore loudly as a midnight-colored shadow blurred right through the base of the tough wooden tower, causing it to topple with a deafening crash. Sally attempted to jump clear, landing on the ground perfectly, then yelled out in surprise and agony as a black, steel limb smashed into her, sending her flying through the whipping fronds of the trees.  
  
"SALLY!" Sonic screamed and, handing his end of the stretcher to Tails, ran faster than he had ever run, not noticing the black shadow standing in the clearing where the fallen timber had been. With a powerful leap, the blue hedgehog grabbed the airborne Sally before she hit a tough oak, landing heavily on the ground. With a grunt of pain, Sally struggled upright, holding a black bruise on her side where she'd been hit, and winced at the effort.  
  
Sonic leapt up and checked on Sally. The hit had been pretty hard, and some bones were probably broken. With a smile of concern, Sonic helped Amy towards Bunnie and Antoine, giving them a look that yelled "Take care of her! I'll see what did this!" Antoine nodded, and slung Sally over his shoulder, following Mighty and Bunnie through the trail. Sonic turned slowly, a golden fire burning in his eyes.  
  
"Where are you, you jerk? Show yourself, you cowardly bastard!" With an evil chuckle and a deliberate slowness in its movement, a shadow seemed to step confidently towards the hedgehog. Sonic, caught off guard, stepped back a pace, and suddenly a pair of glowing red slits emerged at the head level of the silhouette. Sonic then gasped with shock as the black wraith stepped into the light.  
  
"Mecha Sonic? But you should've been scrap by now!" The darker Mecha Sonic's chuckle became a full laugh, an insane tone in the usually-cocky voice of the mechanical monstrosity. Then, with a roar and a flying lunge, faster than even Sonic's quick eyes could follow, the evil machination slammed his knee into Sonic's stomach, causing the hardy hedgehog to double over in pain. Before he could recover, Mecha Sonic's other steel foot blurred sideways, catching Sonic fully in the chest, sending him up into the clouds. Before he broke the thin layer of white, Mecha Sonic flashed past the airborne target, stopping behind the flying victim of his wrath, and delivering a mighty, hateful double-fisted blow to the back of Sonic's head, dropping him into the ground like a missile.  
  
Mecha Sonic was still grinning evilly as his living counterpart slowly inched his way out of the deep crater that had been made by the impact of his soaring body. It felt like every bone in his body had been broken, and Mecha Sonic's behaviour puzzled Sonic. What's going on? The hedgehog thought as he pulled his damaged form from the custom-made crater. Mecha Sonic usually gloats, but this guy hasn't said a word. He's stronger, too, and I can barely see him. He's completely black, and he seems... darker. Sonic didn't ponder too much longer on it, though, as Mecha Sonic slowly began to hover upwards, staring at the hedgehog with his reddened neon eyes.  
  
"Mecha Sonic? That soft, gold-plated imbecile?" The robotic wraith bit out each word with a bitter effect on the normally-calm voice. "No wonder he was golden: that fool was softer than gold, and melted easily with emotion. Only one feeling holds any meaning now: hatred! You damaged me like no being has ever hurt me before! You caused me to feel pain! ME! THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR! YOU SHALL PAY NOW FOR MY SUFFERING! FEEL THE WRATH OF THE CHAOS WRAITH!" With that, the engines blasted again, sending the newly-revealed Chaos Wraith skyward.  
  
Sonic didn't waste anytime. With a quick flick of his wrist, he produced a power ring from his pack and healed his legs and body enough to run at full speed. Then, with a equally speedy charge-up, the supreme symbol of swiftness on Mobius jetted away towards the mountain. He saw the weak stone wall, where the hidden entrance to the Lava Reef was, and kicked his feet into overtime, rolling into a ball in mid-dash and slamming into the mountainside, cracking the strong stones with a rumbling tremor from the impact.  
  
"HEDGEHOG!! YOU CAN"T ESCAPE FATE! NOW DIE!" A metallic voice rang out over the sounds of gunfire. The alien fighters were back in force, attempting to slow down the mad machine's fury. With a sudden flare of darkness, Chaos Wraith stopped on a dime and unleashed a sudden shockwave, the sudden surge of black power disintegrating the small aggressors and knocking the Freedom Fighters down. They were up again fast enough, reaching the cave wall even as their obsidian foe cupped its hands together in front of him, a ball of dark energy forming in his palms.  
  
"SONIC SPIN!" Sonic revved up for a spin attack, aiming himself towards the rock cliff as Chaos Wraith charged up the deadly attack in his hands. It soon became clear that this was a race, and their would be no prize for second place. Sonic became a blurring blue light, smashing into the cleveryly-built wall like a piston, and the barrier slowly gave way, crumbling into dust at the continuous force being applied to it. Sally checked her compact computer, analyzing the thermal level of the stone to make sure they weren't barbecued as soon as they got in.  
  
Though if they were, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. They would either have to risk a boiling, painful death in the womb of an ancient volcanic monument, or be completely eradicated by the evil energy of Chaos Wraith. They would not have time to make a second attempt to escape: the explosion would be too powerful and wide for them to run from in time. Suddenly, the race was ending, and they heard a slight rumbling as their obstacle was grounding into dust.  
  
Chaos Wraith sensed they would make it through, and decided it would be prudent to unleash the energy he had collected now, before they got away. With a wild yell, the mechanical warrior that had formerly been known as Mecha Sonic stopped crackling with energy, and the ball of dark power between his palms expanded no further. Then, before anyone could react, the attack was complete, and ready to fire.  
  
"CHAOS FLASH FIRE!!" The attack fired downwards, a beam of powerful chaos energy aimed directly at the Freedom Fighters. However, it was destined to miss: Sonic burst through the other side of the wall, and the rest of the escapees rushed through the new tunnel, barely escaping the full impact of the evil firestorm, ducking to either side of the exit as the hate-charged explosion rocked the mountainside and sent tongues of dark flame soaring through the cave, causing the walls to glow with an eerie, deep pulse of purple.  
  
Chaos Wraith then went into free-fall, exhausted beyond mention by the previous expenditure of chaotic hatred, slamming into a plateau halfway up the volcano, the dark armor crackling with black electricity: the Chaos Emerald was completely drained. With a burst of supernatural light, the evil armor became a deep purple, almost like a combination of the black, evil energy and the colour of Rotor's mauve fur, then gave way to a crimson and black armor, coloured the same as Sonic's imagery of some hell-bound, demonic war engine. With a groan of frustration, the maddened evil warrior sat up, eyes flashing red and gold as he began to hold a conversation with the emotional side of himself.  
  
"I COULD'VE KILLED THEM ALL IN ONE GO! YOU IDIOT, YOU SHOULD'VE LET ME FINISH IT QUICKLY!" The boundless rage of Chaos Wraith subsided, into a calm, regulated tone, and his armor once again took on the blues and silvers of Mecha Sonic. "Why should we have to kill the hedgehog? I was the one at fault, remember?" "YOU WEAK MORON! WHY MUST I SHARE THIS IRON SHELL WITH A SOFT COWARD LIKE YOU?" "You mistake my emotion for weakness, Chaos Wraith! I am still a warrior, and I will battle Sonic, but not to the death!" "WHY NOT! HE KILLED US! HE MADE US HURT! WE SHALL MAKE HIM SUFFER!"  
  
After an hour of this banter between Mecha Sonic and his darker ego, Chaos Wraith, the evil side of the machination got a devious scheme working in his side of their robotic mind. "HA! You know, Mecha Sonic, that you are still too weak to battle the hedgehog! You are strong indeed, but you'll never amount to the power of that one, unless you allow me to take over! BECOME STRONG, OR FOREVER REMAIN AS SONIC'S SECOND!" Mecha Sonic's form flinched, as if his darker side had caught him a blow in his steel-bladed head.  
  
"NO! I won't be weaker than him! I was designed to be the perfect warrior, and I will do ANYTHING FOR VICTORY!" With that, the armor charged with evil energy again, and Chaos Wraith took over, grinning inwardly. That was close! That spineless fool nearly got control! I'll have to be more careful next time, or my vengeance will fail! With those words, the hellish, seemingly burning darkness that was Chaos Wraith blasted into the air, watching the Freedom Fighter's every movement.  
  
"I WILL destroy you, Sonic the Hedgehog! You can be sure of that..."  
  
*****  
  
Sonic had ran forward, clearing a path through the hardened magma layers with the full force of his Sonic Spin. They found themselves progressing through the mountain quickly, heading into a far cooler area. Suddenly, the walls became crystalline, glinting from an unknown light. Sonic saw this and was relieved, knowing they were getting close. Suddenly, the mountain rumbled again, knocking the Freedom Fighters off their feet. Sonic scrambled upwards, half-expecting to see Chaos Wraith burst through the ceiling. It didn't happen as Sonic thought it would, but something else was definitely coming.  
  
Outside, Chaos Wraith had finished charging enough for a second attack. With a mechanical scream, he reverted back to his darkest, hate- filled shadow form, powering up for another Chaos Flash Fire. This time, it was aimed a little differently. The dark energy was released at full speed, crashing into the burning, long-dormant, open peak of the ancient volcano and setting off seismic forces that had remained unscathed for centuries. Boiling magma and choking ash found its way to the hidden cave, and the devil android laughed aloud, an insane, wild laugh that rang throughout the skies.  
  
"NOW, HEDGEHOG! NOW YOUR TIME HAS COME! BURN AND DIE, SO THAT I MAY BECOME THE STRONGEST BEING IN THE UNIVERSE!" Suddenly, as the Chaos Wraith chuckled to himself with satisfaction, his voice cut off suddenly, and the armors of the machine became pure gold once again. Shaking his head with regret, the shining robot raced away, leaving the Freedom Fighters to their new predicament while he tried to deal with his dark, evil counterpart.  
  
*****  
  
Without warning, the heat suddenly became unbearable. In Sonic's mind, warning klaxons were sounding off suddenly. "Chaos Wraith's caused the volcano to erupt! Lava's coming!" The Freedom Fighters all stared in horror at the glowing liquid that began to creep its way around the corner of the Sonic-style tunnel. Sonic gunned his speed into overtime, and Tails followed, becoming a furry blur of speed. "SONIC SPIN!" "TAILS SPIN!" Both crashed into the wall, cutting through the soft sandstone like a laser through water. Sally, forgetting the pain in her ribs, pulled out her specialized PC from her vest pocket and converted it into a laser weapon, firing a stream of glowing-green light into the rapidly-vanishing wall, causing each particle to overheat and vaporize.  
  
The lava was speeding up, and they all knew there wouldn't be enough time to escape. Without warning, though, a side of the mountain burst open, and Mighty lumbered into view, surprisingly fast in the dark mountain. "KEEP GOING!" The armadillo yelled over the bubbling lava. "I'LL TRY TO DIVERT THE ERUPTION! GET KNUX BACK!" With that, Mighty began to dig downward, disappearing in an instant. The hole became bottomless, to all eyes, and the lava began to roll down the new passages, flowing into the cave where Mighty had come from, and falling deep into the pit that Mighty had just dug.  
  
Sonic blinked back tears, watching the hot magma pour into the abyss, and bowed his head, silently thanking Mighty for the sacrifice he made. Antoine and Tails picked up the stretcher bearing Amy, and continued their journey through the Lava Reef's crystal caves. Sally lagged behind, the pain in her chest returning with a vengeance. Sonic sped back and supported her, wrapping her arm around his neck and grabbing her other arm with his free hand. Within an hour, they had arrived at the Hidden Palace, where Vector, Charmy and Espio were waiting, each with a concerned look on their face.  
  
"Mighty's gone. He saved us at the cost of his own life." The remaining Chaotix nodded solemnly, and Vector spoke for them all. "He wouldn't have gone any other way!" Then Sonic got down to business. "Tails, you go keep watch for visitors. Rotor, go and see what we got for weapons. Bunnie, you take Sally and Amy someplace where they can rest. I need to plan with the Chaotix." They all rushed to follow Sonic's orders, not bothering to argue or question them.  
  
"Now, we've got major problems. As you know, these new aliens are probably all over the place, and can transport by air." The Chaotix agreed: It was only going to be a matter of time before those things found their way to Floating Island. "Mecha Sonic's back, and he's got one of the Emeralds, meaning he's going to be tough." Charmy swore under his breath. Sonic nodded and continued. "Worse still, he's even more powerful than usual! He's faster than I am, and has a huge amount of energy. He's completely evil now, and is calling himself the Chaos Wraith!" Sonic was out of breath, and Espio added his own report. "We've also got the ship overhead, and we think that's the one that Knuckles is on. We know that they hate the aliens, and they also attacked Chaos Wraith, so I say we try and join forces with them." Everyone shook hands on the strategy.  
  
"Sally got hurt pretty bad. Chaos Wraith got her bad, so I'll go check up on her. I want you guys to whip up the armory. Espio, you come with me. I need you to run the computers." Suddenly, Tails dropped in, excited and out-of-breath.  
  
"Hey, Sonic! It looks like those ships got hurt pretty bad by Chaos Wraith. Most of 'em are pullin' out!" Sonic nodded grimly. I hope we can get up there before they leave orbit. Rotor came up quickly after, even more excited than Tails. "Sonic, I've found a lot of those pulse rifles we used back in the war! I've also managed to get some new recruits!"He turned around and gave a whistle, and two familiar figures turned the corner.  
  
Sandra and Sonar, the two Marine officers they had recruited during the war, saluted crisply, awaiting their orders. Rotor laughed silently and whispered, "These two haven't changed a bit: They're probably worried you'll give 'em a court-martial if they slouch!" Sonic smiled to himself and saluted equally, walking forward in a manner that befitted a Marine commander.  
  
"Right, Marines, here's the drill! A new breed of aliens has landed on Mobius, and has attacked our military forces. We have been given a second chance to keep the populace safe, and we will use it! I am your commander, Sonic. Should you require anything, or note anything that should be brought to the company's attention, you report to me, or else to my second-in-command, Officer Prower." The hardcore military duo nodded in sync, and pulled a smart salute.  
  
"Also remember: This is NOT as strict a military unit as the Marine Corps were. We hold individual opinion highly, and will not tolerate stiff procedure. You just do your best, and take this into mind: We are not merely your fellow officers and superiors. We don't follow ranking and severe disciplinary actions in this outfit. We believe that friendship and casual behaviour outweigh starchy regulation and stiff-necked saluting. Just be yourselves, and enjoy life with the Mobian Royal Forces!" With this speech's ending, the sinuous, energetic fox grinned cheekily and yawned, pretending to doze off from boredom, while the crimson-furred hedgehog recruit pulled out a deck of cards and started a game of solitaire, pulling off a variety of showoff tricks.  
  
Rotor barely kept from bursting into an uproar of laughter, seeing Sonic face fault almost perfectly on cue. Then, with a shrug, the technological genius set to work unloading the pulse rifles he had stocked, tossing one to the grounded leader. Sonic leapt right up and loaded it, feeling the heavy steel in his hands. This was going to be a long day.  
  
End  
  
And so the story goes on! After the narrow escape from the Acorn Royal Palace, Sonic and the Freedom Fighters land on Floating Island and attempt to find their way to the Hidden Palace. Their journey is not uneventful, however, for Mecha Sonic, charged with a Chaos Emerald, and consumed by his own raging fury, discovers them and attacks with all of his rage, annihilating several of the Protoss ships, damaging Sally harshly, crushing Sonic easily and unleashing a deadly beam of energy, dedicated to the destruction of the Freedom Fighters. However, before the lethal attack hits home, Sonic manages to break his way through the mountainside and enters the Lava Reef, an ancient volcanic catacomb that leads to the Hidden Palace. However, the newly-proclaimed Chaos Wraith still has a few tricks up his iron gauntlet, and manages to set off a powerful eruption, causing a stream of bubbling lava to boil towards our heroes. Just in the nick of time, though, Mighty of the Chaotix tunnels into the predicament, and diverts the lava into a hole with his digging skills, sacrificing himself so the expedition could continue.  
  
After the selfless end of Mighty, Sonic and Tails manage to work together and cut through to the Hidden Palace, where they gear up for battle. With the unexpected addition of former Marines Sandra Fox and Sonar the Hedgehog, as well as a good supply of pulse rifles, the Freedom Fighters are ready to rock! However, do they stand a match against both the ravenous Zerg AND the mechanical cunning of the hate-filled, shadowed and evil powers of Chaos Wraith, Mecha Sonic's darker side? Read on to Chapter 3 of Mechanical Monstrosity: The Mobian Exodus! 


	4. Revelations

Mechanical Monstrosity Chapter 3: Revelations  
  
I remember being alone, cold, in a place that was unfamiliar. There were strange lights all around me, like little floating spirits, burning from some infinitesimal source of life, each a different colour. When I got closer to one, a bright, pulsating red flame, I heard yelling, screams and the sounds of battle. Strange languages and unfamiliar voices filled my head, almost driving me mad with pain and despair. Then, I moved to the next glowing flame, a golden-coloured fire as bright as the sun, and I heard the sound of wedding bells, singing and laughing, and the cheerful, joyous voices of Sonic and Sally, louder than the rest, for it was their day. Memories are who we are, and friends and family are our strength. Take either away, and you have helplessness and loneliness.  
  
Precious Memories, excerpt from the diary of Amy Rose.  
  
*****  
  
Rotor heard steel skidding along the ground, and turned to see one of the small, claw-like fighters come to a stop just in front of him, the razor-edged wings halting a pin's length before his head. Before anyone could react, the master engineer of the Freedom Fighters hopped aboard and scoped the inside of the cockpit. "WHOA! What awesome technology! Guys, I've got an idea!" Rotor explained his idea to the group, and they all grinned in anticipation.  
  
*****  
  
"Now, if I remember correctly, those golden ships tried to damage me, didn't they?" Chaos Wraith hovered in the distance, watching intently as the smaller fighters patrolled the area. "NO! Don't you start! I don't want to destroy anything! I'm the most powerful now, so I don't need to prove it!" Mecha Sonic cut through Chaos Wraith's thoughts, the neon eyes flickering from red to gold and back. "Well, I don't feel as angry anymore, so I guess I'll let you have your own fun..." Before long, the armor melted from the dark shadow of Chaos Wraith, turning into a white, shapeless light, and then to the golden-armored warrior known as Mecha Sonic.  
  
"Alright then!" Mecha Sonic laughed: With Sonic gone, the mechanical fighting machine was now truly unbeatable! "I feel like having a little game of shoot-the-birdy with them!" Guilt still ate at the back of Mecha Sonic's mind: He really hadn't wanted them dead, and certainly not with some cheap trick. If he had really wanted to go as far as murder, the golden warrior would have challenged them head-on, in a fair battle! But, what happens happens, so...  
  
"Chaos Wraith! Betcha I can take all of them out without firing a shot!" Mecha Sonic smirked to himself. His darker side didn't completely take over, but merely shrugged its shoulders. "I'll take that bet! 24 hours of control if you knock out all of them without using any energy!" Mecha Sonic returned with a grin, and streaked into battle, ducking, dodging and weaving to avoid the plasma bursts.  
  
"HAHAHA! Can't hit me, can you?" Then, with a quick loop, the mechanical monstrosity flew straight into the middle of them, completely surrounded. "COME ON!" With a shout, he took on a mask of grim determination, seemingly ready to destroy the whole lot of them. On cue, they all fired at once, and Mecha Sonic laughed, corkscrewing between the shots before they converged on him, like some missile spinning out of control. With a sudden flare, the shots met in the same place, all absorbing each other into one focused orb of plasma energy.  
  
"Now, here's the pitch!" With a quick lunge, Mecha Sonic grabbed a passing ship and, with a mere flick of his wrists, flung the helpless attacker straight into the collected power before the others could react. With a sudden flash, the anti-matter ball combined with the golden material of the starfighter, cancelling each other out in a violent surge of explosive power, destroying or heavily damaging anything nearby. "WHOO! Beautiful! Home run, right down the middle! Can't get any sweeter than that!" With that, he turned his attention to the alter ego that his rage had created.  
  
"HA! Got 'em all, without any energy!" Mecha Sonic's laughter was cut off as Chaos Wraith abruptly took over. "WHA? I'm supposed to be in control now! What's the deal? I won our bet!" Chaos Wraith chuckled evilly, inwardly recording the techniques that had just been displayed to him by Mecha Sonic's little game of dodgeball. With a quick charge-up, the shadowy robotic villain launched himself from the scene of destruction, laughing to himself.  
  
"Sorry, brother! We didn't shake on it! Rules are rules, after all!" With a full-blown laugh, the evil machine left into the horizon, to see what other challenges there might be. Without the hedgehog in his way, the maniacal machination was free to do whatever he wanted, without the restraint of his softened, emotional setbacks. "Maybe I'll go check up on Knothole, maybe see who's still around..." With a quick veer to the left, the dark force of Chaos Wraith made a beeline for the hidden city of the Freedom Fighters.  
  
Moments later, the aerial assault stopped, and the fast, miniature attackers returned to the large starship. Battle-damaged and severely diminished in number, they feebly landed on the docks, some skidding harshly along the bay surfaces. However, had Chaos Wraith stayed just a few moments longer, his sensors would have picked up an unusual number of lifesigns inside one particularly wobbly spacecraft.  
  
*****  
  
Rotor had quickly managed to get the ship fixed up, and with Sally's help head had learned most of the controls. With a flick of her finger, the mechanically-learned ground squirrel disengaged the open comm link, grimacing in concern and worry. "Rotor, send a message through the comm link to our forces at Knothole. Get them to the evac' point, and tell 'em we'll try to bring some help." With a nod, Rotor worked a series of glowing blue buttons, speaking loudly into a floating orb the size of a child's ball. "MOVE OUT! MECHA SONIC'S COMING, AND HE'S LOADED FOR BEAR! GET TO EVAC POINT AND WAIT FOR PICKUP! STAY IN THE MYSTIC CAVES, WE'LL COME TO YOU!" With a flash of ethereal teal-coloured light, the sphere disappeared, in truth racing at lightspeed towards the destination Rotor had set for it.  
  
"God pray it gets there in time!" Bunnie muttered aloud, and Tails nodded, clearly worried. "Don't worry! It'll get there before Chaos Wraith does, and big sis' 'n bro'll take care of everything!" Sonic nodded silently, remembering his twin siblings, Sonia and Manic Hedgehog, and the spirit of their mother, Queen Serenity of the Mobian Ruling House. A tear coursed down his warm cheek, and he brushed it away, smiling solemnly. "Yeah, you're right! Sonia's got as much smarts as Sally, 'n that shifty brother of mine'll sneak out the entire troupe, right under that mechanical monstrosity's nose!"  
  
Sally thought deeply for a bit at this, remembering the conversation they had heard between Chaos Wraith, and the truthful, almost dutifully honor- bound soul of Mecha Sonic, being manipulated by the twisted hate that was attacking every notion of conscience and control the warrior had. "We can only pity Mecha Sonic, I guess." Sally spoke aloud, and the party bowed their heads, contemplating silently of the golden, light-hearted side of what had usually been considered nothing more than a rival, seeking a challenging battle.  
  
Now, that being, who had always wished for nothing more than a good, clean fight between himself and Sonic, was fighting a battle all his own, against an enemy that had began the bloodiest massacre in Mobian history. An enemy that had transformed an honorable warrior into a murderous, totally evil creature, bent on the sadistic destruction of the entire planet's population.  
  
Rotor and Sally worked the consoles, steadying the strange craft for a landing inside the carrier. Tails and Sonic were close behind, keeping Amy's stretcher stable. Each had a modified semi-automatic handgun holstered. The Chaotix loaded their rifles and checked the fuel in the napalm tanks. Bunnie taped a grenade launcher onto one of her arms, and attached a modified sniper rifle on the other. Sonar and Sandra were loaded for bear, with grenades, shotguns, clip belts and combat knives. With a slight screech from the impact of metal on metal, the small starfighter landed, and the cockpit opened.  
  
"Alright! Holster your weapons, and come out slowly." Sonic cautioned the team as Rotor and Sally pulled themselves free from the repaired spacecraft. They were followed by Tails, who carefully lifted Amy from the ship and carried her in his arms. Antoine carried out the stretcher for Amy, allowing Tails to set the sleeping hedgehog onto the makeshift pad. The Chaotix filed out of the open back of the ship, guns shouldered over their backs. Sandra and Sonar were the next two to emerge from the damaged battleship, weapons unloaded in knapsacks behind them. Sonic came out last, his quick eye roving around the room, catching every detail.  
  
"Welcome aboard the Gantrithor, Mobian creatures!" A voice rang out from behind them. They turned quickly, and got their first view at the masters of the technological marvels that had battled those aliens so easily. Sonic quickly cautioned Sonar and Sandra, whose hands had flown by reflex to the knives sheathed at their shoulders. The speaker was humanoid in build, only fairly slender and taller, with an almost skeletal complexion. It was garbed in a golden suit of armor, with large armored units mounted on either wrist, and some form of jewel centered within the plating. "I am Fenix, Praetor of the Protoss Expeditionary Force."  
  
Sonic got over his awe the fastest, and answered the Protoss in as polite a manner as he could manage. "Thank you for your help, sir. I am Sonic, leader of the Mobian Freedom Fighters." Fenix's eyes glowed for a moment, and the Protoss commander bowed his head. "An honor to meet you, Sonic." Sonic was about to introduce the rest of the crew, but Fenix simply held out his hand and gestured for them to follow him. "Now please forgive me, for I must ask you to come quickly. We have little time to spare, and this would not be the best place for us to be when the Gantrithor leaves the atmosphere of Mobius."  
  
They followed their guide without hesitation, hearing the doorway clamp behind them and seal itself. Fenix turned a left, and they found themselves in a massive room, with one circular desk and a host of other Protoss sitting around it. The tallest of them, apparently their leader, spoke to Fenix in an alien tongue, unknown to the Freedom Fighters. "En Taro Adun, Fenix." Was all they could catch out of the quick conversation. Fenix bowed his head towards the group, obviously a show of respect. The highest of the Protoss then turned his attention to Sonic's team. They imitated Fenix's bow, tilting their heads downward uneasily, and their host laughed.  
  
"You are observant, Mobians. I am Tassadar, the commander of this vessel." Sonic was amazed that these Protoss knew their language so fluently. "I expect you have a few questions, but first would you introduce your crew to us?" Sonic bowed his head again and spoke clearly, in a respecting tone. "I am Sonic the Hedgehog, the leader of the Mobian Resistance." Tassadar acknowledged this, and his eyes then turned to the others. Sally was next. "I am Sally Acorn, former princess of the Royal Family, and loyal companion to Sonic." Then Rotor spoke up. "Rotor, chief engineer of the Resistance. I can fix anything, be it Mobian or foreign!" Bunnie had her say next. "Bunnie Rabbot, Resistance Field Commander. My arms were transformed to weapons long ago." Then Antoine gave his introduction. "Antoine, Morale Officer." Ant didn't say anything more, since he didn't want to embarrass himself. The Chaotix all spoke at once. "Charmy, Espio and Vector, the Chaotix, HQ Security." The last two were the newest recruits. "Sandra Vixen and Sonar Spike, Arms Sergeants."  
  
Tassadar nodded, then looked to Tails. "What about you, young one?" Tails stood up and gave his name to the Protoss commander. "Miles Prower, though most call me Tails. We don't generally use ranks in our resistance, so I'll just say I go where Sonic goes." He then crouched back down, and Tassadar's attention flickered to the calm form that Tails was watching. "And what of the young hedgehog maid?" Sonic spoke for Tails. "That is Amy Rose. We will explain the situation as best as we can."  
  
Sonic went on to tell of the war, their individual deaths, and the final sacrifice of Knuckles and Mighty. The Protoss never interrupted once, silently listening to the hedgehog as he told their tale. Finally, at the end of the narrative, one of the Protoss spoke up, apparently concerned.  
  
"These Chaos Emeralds you spoke of are intriguing. They are obviously powerful objects, but you do not know the whole truth about their origins. The Emeralds are not of this world, nor any other we know of. They come from the race that created us and the Zerg, the creatures that attacked you. The Emeralds are made of a material called Khaydarin, a highly coveted source of power for our technologies."  
  
"Legends of our people speak of the seven key crystals, which are capable of incalculable abilities. Each is based on a separate element: Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Steel, Thunder, and Life. Each individual crystal is capable of different powers on their own, but together they are infinite. This Mecha Sonic wields the Thunder Emerald, allowing him to unleash an incredible amount of energy and charging his steel armor with golden power. Mecha Sonic alone is not dangerous: Like many of our own warriors, he merely seeks a challenging battle against a worthy opponent."  
  
"Unfortunately, by your own story, this robotic creature has tapped into the dark emotions of hatred and rage. The emeralds reflect the feelings of their master, and when this boundless fury towards you surfaced during his usage of the Thunder Emerald, the power of his own anger overwhelmed the mechanical monstrosity, causing his golden armor to become stained in shadows."  
  
"The crystal requires some time after repeated use to recharge its power, meaning that his abilities are only able to hold for a short time. The rest of the crystals must be protected at all costs, or this Chaos Wraith may just become the strongest and most evil being in existence! Luckily, he left after his battle with our Interceptors, otherwise his sensors may have detected your party within one of them!"  
  
The new Protoss speaker's eyes flashed, and Tassadar nodded grimly. "I have to agree with you, Zeratul. The emeralds are far too powerful for us to hold off. We must gather the remaining crystals to prevent their misuse." Sonic mused alone for a bit, then the Chaotix spoke up.  
  
"What about our leader, Knuckles? Where is he?" Fenix sighed, and came straight out with his answer. "We originally believed that Knuckles was the source of the power, and wanted to secure it away from the Zerg, so we transported him to our Carrier." The Chaotix breathed a sigh of relief, and Sally stood forward. "What help can we offer? We can't sit around and watch our friends and family suffer again! Knuckles' sacrifice can't be made in vain!" Sonic stood alongside Sally, holding her hand and staring into the eyes of Tassadar and nodding grimly, the light of coming battles burning white in his soul.  
  
"She's right! We will fight to keep our planet safe again, even if we must give our lives again to protect what is right!" The rest of the Freedom Fighters yelled out a cheer, completely in support of Sonic's heartfelt decree. Tassadar relaxed, a smile of understanding playing across his face. Zeratul spoke first, though. "Tassadar, these warriors are our allies, and indeed, are all too similar to my Dark Templar. We may be regarded as a little thing, insignificant, but we will fight to protect what we hold dear to the last!" Tassadar looked into the eyes of Zeratul, and saw a familiar blue fire burning in them.  
  
"Zeratul, your words are true. Our home planet saw you as outcasts, but you still helped us in our time of need, during the greatest of our battles against the Zerg. These creatures are indeed like your Dark Templar, and so we shall indeed give these creatures the aid they ask for." With that, Fenix escorted the Freedom Fighters to their quarters.  
  
"You did well, Mobians. You can expect your arms commander in 8 hours. I suggest you get some rest before then." With that, before continuing, he lifted the unconscious Amy Rose onto his broad shoulder and started to leave the room. "I'll take her to the infirmary, and see if we can get her well again. En Taro Mobius!" Sonic guessed that was some sort of compliment or honor. He performed the Protoss bow, and Fenix left for the on-ship medical office. Sonic immediately cracked his fists in anticipation of their first sortie.  
  
"Alright! Everything's worked out so far! The Protoss are benign, and are willing to help and supply us for some major action!" Sonic then got his team to get some rest, divvying up the separate rooms between them. "OK. Me, Sally, Tails & Amy will get this room. The Chaotix can have Room #2, and the last room goes to Rotor, Antoine & Bunnie." Everyone left for their separate bunks, and Tails got ready to leave.  
  
"Whoa, little bro! Where're you going?" Sonic asked. Tails looked imploring to his friend as he explained himself. "Sorry, Sonic! I'm gonna catch up with Fenix, and check on Amy!" Sonic and Sally looked at each other, and nodded, smiling at the fox's devotion. Tails immediately ran out into the corridor, following the signs to the infirmary.  
  
"Tails is getting older, Sonic." Sally assured the creature she was destined to be with forever. "He's a lot like you now, and will do anything for Amy." Sonic nodded and scratched the back of his head, blushing profusely and showing a modesty he rarely let out. "Nah! He's not much like me! He's not completely selfish, like I was. Still, you're right: Amy really could use his support now, in the way you gave me your help." Sally and Sonic both smiled, tears trickling down their cheeks as they reminisced of old times.  
  
"I missed you for so long, Sonic!" Sonic stared deep into Sally's eyes, past memories and unconfined emotion passing between them in a brief eternity. Their lips met, and the kiss went on, surging the feelings they had kept in check with the endless depth of a passionate moment. They both stayed in that moment forever, never letting the love between them dwindle into anything less than it was now.  
  
*****  
  
"Well, young one. I can see you feel deeply for the hedgehog." Tails' cheeks went red, contrasting to his golden-tanned and white fur like a roaring fire over a calm and endless desert. Fenix smiled and ruffled the fox-cub's head, chuckling softly. "No need to be ashamed! That passion for life, and your own hidden emotion, make you strong! It is the power of your heart that allows you to overcome any obstacle!" Tails was enthralled by the poetic tongue of Praetor Fenix, and thought deeply.  
  
Wow! I'd expect something like this from Amy or Sally, but the Protoss are amazing! It's like they can peek into my thoughts and use our own feelings to give us strength! Tails was no less surprised when Fenix cut into his thoughts. Indeed, Tails. Protoss have the ability to read into your mind, and we can also see into your very soul. You are courageous and brave, deep inside that shell of youth. I can feel it: You will be a force beyond all of us someday if you follow your heart. Tails gasped aloud, then bowed his head in respect and gratitude for Fenix's kind words.  
  
"Now then, Tails! I believe there is someone you wanted to meet?" With those words, the muscular alien flicked a switch on the steel wall, opening a small door to reveal a sight Tails had been longing for. Amy sat on the edge of an infirmary bench, bending her arms and legs experimentally, as if she was afraid they might stop working.  
  
"Boy, these guys sure know how to make a girl whole again!" Amy exclaimed, standing up and flexing her legs in the way she used to, before the resistance, when she was interested in racing. Then her eye flickered, and she looked towards the pair standing in the doorway, one chuckling softly to himself in a deep bass voice, the other gazing at her in wonder and awe. A flash of rare and deep emotion passed over Amy's face, but quickly dissolved behind the cool, emotionally in-check exterior that was Amy Rose.  
  
"Amy? You got better!" Tails did a little hop of joy, and rushed to give Amy a hug. Amy smiled and returned the gesture, glad to be back among friends. "Yeah, I'm in top shape again, thanks to the Protoss! Where're the others?" Tails excitedly grabbed her hand and ran with her to the hallway, stopping for a moment to look up at the kindly Fenix. "Thanks, sir!" Fenix just nodded slowly, smiling softly as Amy and Tails dashed helter-skelter towards their rooms.  
  
*****  
  
"Hey, little bro! How's Amy?" Sonic enquired his best bud. Tails smiled and stepped aside, laughing with the joy of youth. With a sudden skip, Amy appeared in the doorway, a indifferent grin set on her face. "Oh, I'll get by! How've you lovebirds been holding up?" Sonic adopted his old, arrogant tone. "Eh, we've managed good enough, and you two?" Amy looked confused at this, then decided not to question it. Instead, she noted the sound of running water, and a cheeky grin stamped itself on her face.  
  
"So, where's Sally at? Surely she'll around here someplace!" Now Sonic's blue fur took on a reddish tinge, blushing hotter than the sun could have. "Well, she's... currently unable to come, ahem, right now, 'cause she's showering." Sonic couldn't have turned any redder if they had thrown him in a vat of crimson paint. Amy then gave Sonic a pat on the back, laughing outrageously, and attempted to talk between laughs. "Sonic, you could pass off as Knuckles! Look at 'im, he's redder than his shoes!" Tails was barely able to keep from falling to the floor in hysterics.  
  
Amy soon got over her laughing long enough to yell out "HEY SAL! WHERE YA AT?" Something similar to a shriek was heard, followed by the unmistakenable sound of something hitting a steel floor. Before anyone could remark, Sally opened the door, wearing an ivory-white housecoat that contrasted wonderfully with her deep chestnut fur, and rubbing her rear tenderly, where she had recently fallen. Sonic went complete maroon red as the ground squirrel gave Amy a good long embrace, laughing aloud.  
  
"AMY! You've got some nerve, girl, interrupting my shower!" Sally and Amy both burst into hysterics as they caught sight of Sonic, crimson from eartip to toe. "Poor guy! Think he's embarrassed?" Amy gasped between giggles. Sally chuckled as she replied. "Sonic? He's usually too cocky for his own good, but he's redder than Knux, so maybe he's just being modest!" Amy and Tails left the room, towing behind them a completely petrified and glowing hedgehog.  
  
*****  
  
"So, that's what happened." Sally finished telling the tale, right down to Mighty's last stand, to Amy, who was shocked. "Mighty and Knuckles didn't deserve this. They're the most selfless people I know, though they don't like to admit it." Sonic nodded, then decided it was time to let Amy in on the secret. "Yeah, but Tails comes pretty close to them. When you were ill, Tails stayed with you the entire time! He carried you most of the way here, and comforted you when you were out!" Amy was taken aback by Sonic's tone: it was more solemn than anything she'd ever heard from him.  
  
"Sonic's right, Amy!" Sally continued for Sonic, voicing her own opinion. "Tails cares for you, as deeply as I do for Sonic. He will do anything to keep you safe, because he's fallen for you!" Amy gasped aloud, almost waking the softly snoring fox-cub. "He really did all that? Tails really likes me that much?" Sally and Sonic nodded together, and Amy felt tears trickle down her face.  
  
"I've always loved Tails secretly, but I never wanted to tell anyone. I was afraid that he would go, and I would be alone again. But now I know that I'll never be alone, because I have all of you in my heart, and Tails by my side!" Sally wiped away her tears, comforting the hedgehog's head in her lap. "Shhh! Hush now, Amy. We should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day..." Amy looked up from the tear-stained nightgown of the woman she had come to respect and love as a child loves her mother, and nodded slowly, laying down on her prepped-bed.  
  
Sally and Sonic returned to their own bed, pulling the white sheets over them and falling asleep instantly, cradled in each other's arms and smiling lovingly, their thoughts already dissolving into warm, pure, innocent dreams of their own design. Amy watched them for a while, thinking to herself as she reflected on the strong-hearted couple. Sonic and Sally look so peaceful together. Just as innocent and cute as Tails. I wonder what'll happen to us after tomorrow. Me 'n Tails.. kinda hard to imagine me being much like Sally. Tails is more like them than I am. Ah, well...  
  
Amy sighed and rested her head upon the silky cushion of her bunk, watching the sleeping, peaceful look of youth etched on her admirer's gentle, innocent face. With a smile of wonder and understanding, the sensitive, emotionally-complex hedgehog lady settled into the perfectly- warmed satin covers of her new bed, and looked towards the future and whatever fate would bring them: Love and triumph, pain and death, journeys and adventures. Only time would tell what destiny's hand would toss upon them...  
  
End of Chapter 3: Revelations  
  
Things begin to get more intriguing. Barely escaping the attention of Mecha Sonic, who still fights against his darker side, Chaos Wraith, the ingenious Rotor and Sally manage to repair and operate a damaged Protoss Interceptor, flying straight into the Carrier without even a glance from the shadow android. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Fenix, the leader of the Protoss warriors. After a brief moment, Sonic and his crew find themselves seated before the Protoss High Council. After relating their terrifying ordeal to the ship's commander, Tassadar, they get a little wisdom from the shadowed Zeratul, on the origins of the mystical Chaos Emeralds, and the ravenous, unchecked Zerg horde.  
  
Unfortunately, the Freedom Fighters, after a quick eavesdropping session, have become crestfallen, as the seemingly-unstoppable black machination decides to drop by their hometown, the hidden base at Knothole! Rotor's sent a message to Sonia and Manic, Sonic's twin sister and brother, to call an evacuation to the Mystic Caves, but Chaos Wraith is still on the move. Can Sonic's siblings get everyone to safety before the evil silhouette of death hangs over them? Find out in the fourth chapter: Evasions! 


	5. Engagements

Chapter 4: Engagements  
  
I come from a royal family, one which was all but completely wiped out by a tyrannical madman, whose power-hungry ambitions and evil creations almost resulted in the destruction of Mobius. Fortunately, the blood of our line is strong, and with our comrades, we emerged victorious over the enemy. Before the second war, we had learned that our strength laid not in our weaponry, special powers or equipment. All the power we needed was within our faith and love for each other.  
  
The second war was an eye-opener for several of us. I lost both of my brothers and many of my friends in that violent massacre. We had always believed that nobody was evil enough to actually wish for the death of an entire planet. Unfortunately, fate and past encounters have proven otherwise. Though I hoped with all my heart that the peace would have lasted on forever, I secretly knew that there would always be someone alone. Someone whose emotions would eventually darken and turn towards evil thoughts. Someone without the feeling of friendship and family. I only wonder just how lonely a person could be to hate the rest of existence...  
  
Excerpt from the documentary of Sonia the Hedgehog, entitled "The Enemy's Lament: The Facade of a False Mask."  
  
*****  
  
The Gantrithor, Carrier flagship of the Protoss armada, loomed over the beautiful blue-green sphere that made up Mobius, hovering in orbit around the infested planet. Already, large purple wastelands and torn mountain ranges indicated the terrible onslaught of the Zerg hordes, their organic hives and cells defiling the once-incredible world with the living substance known as the Creep. Floating alongside the gargantuan backbone of the alien fleet, a sleek craft emerged from the darkness, an oddly-shaped vehicle resembling some tri-bladed claw.  
  
The shielded cockpit of the Arbiter-class vessel glowed a golden color, and the infinite blackness of space seemed to bend around the mysterious craft, consuming several sleeker fighters in a cloak of midnight-emptiness, mottled with bright flecks of the glowing heavens. With a satisfied nod, Sonar, seated in front of the Special Operations station, reported the success of the cloaking procedure to Sally, who sat at the helm of the enigmatic starship. "Spectrum distortion field has been engaged. The Scout squadron is within range. The field is taking effect: All radar traces of the squadron have faded." Sonic acknowledged the crisp information.  
  
"Right! Our fleet is invisible now, so let's get moving!" Sonar Spine saluted and returned to his console, checking to ensure the continued capability of their cloaking shield. Sandra Vixen, positioned inside the ring of computers that made up Navigation, plotted an immediate course to the Mystic Caves. "Course is set. Coordinates are X-129, Y-50, Z-274. Engaging half thrust on pulse drives." Sandra gave out her progress, her steady, clear voice unable to keep up with the incredible speed of her actions. The powerful engines of the Arbiter flared with blue energy, waiting only for the command.  
  
"Rotor! Send the fleet the coordinates! Tell Tassadar to wait for our signal." Rotor hurried to comply with Sally's command, working the controls of the communications work zone with consummate skill. "Executor Tassadar, this is the Tornado. Coordinates are X-129, Y-50, Z-274. We will delay Chaos Wraith with Scout squadron Chaotix, while Shuttle fleet Adun evacuates the caves. En Taro Adun" With those words, the awesome bulk of the armored supercarrier shone blue for a moment, then blasted towards the sparkling green caverns that housed the immense deposits of raw Khaydarin.  
  
"Squad Chaotix, report!" Sally barked over her newly-upgraded portable computer, Nicole. The small fleet, roughly thirty in total, sent their information in immediately over the intercom, in sequence. "Charmy, Vermillion Leader!" The agitated buzzing of Charmy's wings distorted his voice, making it all but unintelligible. The Protoss gave their ranks by number, from Vermillion 1 to Vermillion 9. One of the golden fightercraft flew just out of the stasis field, saluting the Arbiter with an arrogant barrel roll. Sally smirked, then cut their comm.  
  
"Vector, Jade Leader." The steady, rough voice of Vector Gator rumbled over the comm, and Sally quickly lowered the volume, noticing with a grimace that the bulkhead had shook from the echoing force of the deep bass produced by the most serious of the Chaotix Team.  
  
"Espio, Zephyr Leader!" The silky, almost-suspicious tone of Espio Chameleon's regulated voice whispered over the intercom. Sally strained to pick out the meek sounds from the speaker. Espio and Charmy were in their element, Sally thought to herself. In the air and unseen to their enemy.  
  
"All fighters accounted for! On my mark..." Sally paused, letting her bridge members tense up for the command. "MARK!" With that one word, the entire fleet shot into the atmosphere, their highly-sophisticated shielding causing the friction to do little more than heat up the armor plating. With a quick adjustment on her consoles, Sandra gently pulled the control stick to the side, causing the Arbiter to bank slightly to the left. "All Scouts match course with Arbiter! Charge photon vulcan cannon and anti-matter missiles!" The fighters all swiveled in sync with their lead vessel, weapon ports radiating energy as they powered up.  
  
*****  
  
Just a few dozen miles away, Chaos Wraith was blasting his own path towards the hidden village of Knothole. With a grin of anticipation, the steel shadow fired through the clouds, the evil energy produced from his razor-sharp armor corrupting the silver wisps into great storm-heads of devastating proportions. Suddenly, with a jerking halt, the robotic darkness blinked, the blood-red eyes becoming brighter than before. Then, with a scream of agony, the monstrous machination grabbed his head between his hands, which had taken on a reflective golden shine to them.  
  
"NO! I WON'T BE STOPPED! YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM KILLING THEM ALL!" Chaos Wraith ranted between shrieks of pain, as the will of Mecha Sonic fought against the soulless murderer. "I WON'T LET YOU STAIN MY IRON FISTS WITH THE BLOOD OF THE DEFENSELESS! GET OUT OF MY MIND, YOU MANIACAL FREAK!" The battle raged on, each seeming to gain a hold on the other for a moment, before being challenged again. The steel entity was now stuck between Chaos Wraith and Mecha Sonic, golden armor shining in contrast to midnight-black metal.  
  
*****  
  
Sonia watched from a distance, the cloudy sky not beginning to hide the distinct figure of the metallic hedgehog. "Mecha Sonic's changed a lot from the second war. What happened to him?" The only sister of Sonic wondered, as she stealthily scaled the overhanging rock crag she had been perched on. With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure Mecha Sonic/Chaos Wraith hadn't seen her, she walked through the mountainside, the holographic wall flickering for a split second before rendering itself realistic again.  
  
Manic met her inside, his green shock of spiked hair caught in the zephyr breezes passing through the false entrance to their hideout. Sonia tossed the long-range binoculars over to her cunning brother, wiping perspiration from her brow as Manic handed over a canteen of clean water. She upended the drink, pure hydro running down her chin as it flowed into her open mouth. Brushing the loose streak of softer pink hair from her annoyed eyes, she dejectedly slumped down onto the yielding neon soil of the Mystic Caves, listening to Manic's report on the situation.  
  
"OK! Mecha Sonic's right above us, and it looks like he's in pain. Still, I don't know if we'll be able to use any of the caves without being spotted! MAN! I HATE THIS!" Manic slammed the tunnel wall with his gloved fist, frustrated. As a former thief, he was normally used to easy escapes and desperate situations, and could have busted out of the tightest security prisons. He didn't like being helpless, and Sonia understood. With a smile and a nod, she grabbed hold of her brother's hands, looking deeply into his misted eyes.  
  
"Don't worry about it, bro! We've been in worse scrapes than this. Just keep thinking, 'cause there's gotta be some way out of this!" Manic brushed the moisture from his eyelids and grinned, then turned at the sounds of approaching footsteps, tensing up for an attack. The muscular hedgehog's muscles relaxed when Sandra Nightweaver rounded the corner. The snow-white vixen, her usually-cocky grin replaced by a concerned frown, had nothing good to report.  
  
"We're completely out of food and water! If we can't get some help, we're not gonna last much longer!" All of them just stood silently, contemplating their options, before Manic finally spoke his mind. "Right then, how long do we got before we should get lost?" Sonia thought for a moment before answering. "I'd give it about half an hour before we're really forced to move. We'll have to find some way to contact the others later." With a quick glance at the entrance, the three Freedom Fighters dashed helter-skelter to the depths of the winding caverns.  
  
*****  
  
Within the hardened steel shell of floating armor that made up the Protoss Shuttle, Sonic flipped a switch on an overhead console, simultaneously piloting the quick, unarmed vessel and attempting to get a fix on the position of the Knothole refugees. Suddenly, an alarm whistled on the main fixture, and Sonic hit a button on the red-tinted panel. There were two energy signatures high in the air above the Mystic Caves, each rising and falling in balance, as if caught in a battle of epic proportions.  
  
"That could only be Mecha Sonic!" Sonic's mind raced. They couldn't last long if Chaos Wraith attacked. Yet, there were two powers detected, which meant Mecha Sonic was attempting to regain control. "I just hope he can fight it long enough for us to get in there." Sonic prayed under his breath as he patched into a secure channel with the other shuttles.  
  
"Guys, listen up! We've got to land now! Mecha Sonic's right over the caves!" Tails and Amy gasped over the intercom, and Antoine gulped audibly, not prepared to rush into battle without a weapon between them. "I think we might be able to get over there by foot, though! Chaos Wraith is occupied right now.." Sonic didn't have to say anymore: They all knew that Mecha Sonic was facing a battle against an overwhelming force, and was being killed slowly by the murderous intent of his own darkness.  
  
"Right, big bro! We're with you! Landing now!" Tails was calm and confident, as he usually was in the air. Without so much as the whine of a single engine, the Shuttle convoy landed silently within the valleys near the Hill Top. As they touched Mobian soil, Sonic checked the shining cuff on his arm. The energy level was maxed out. Good! With a satisfied grin, Sonic unhitched the cargo bay door and slowly walked out, a Warp Blade vessel on one arm, and a portable Scarab Drone Launcher, carried crossways in true Marine fashion.  
  
The others were armed similarly. Tails and Amy had been equipped with a pair of Phase Disruptors, powerful energy weapons used mainly in Dragoon mecha. Antoine had taken a pair of light Psi-Blades. All had been armored in the golden, Psi-powered body plates that the Protoss wore in battle, only much smaller, suiting the Freedom Fighters perfectly. "Right! Let's move out!" Sonic called to his team, careful not to raise his voice high enough for Chaos Wraith to hear. With caution at every turn, they moved through the valley towards the cave, covering each other and making ground at an astonishing rate.  
  
*****  
  
"Drop out of warp, and arm all weaponry!" Sally ordered her bridge crew. Sandra immediately worked her consoles, easing the alien starship slowly from its streaking course. Rotor immediately sent out a message to the hidden Scout fleet, anticipating Sally's next command. "All Scout squadrons, match our current speed and maintain radio silence now! Ready for engagement!" The squad leaders, Espio, Vector and Charmy, calmly fixed a patch over to their Protoss allies, simultaneously giving the order to slow down, shut up and get psyched.  
  
Sally made a cutting motion with her hand, indicating that it was time to begin. Sandra circled their target, waiting for an opportune time to begin the attack. Sonar prepared the coordinates for a Recall gateway to open to the rest of the fleet. Sally nodded, satisfied with the efficiency of the actions, then gave the order to Rotor. "Now, signal all Scouts to hold their fire and remain in the field! I want them spread out, but ready to attack and in their squadrons at all times!" Rotor complied quickly, sending a coded sequence to the hidden fleet within seconds.  
  
Charmy laid back in the cushy seat of his starfighter, reading the message with feigned disinterest. Practically yawning, the top-rated pilot in Mobius drawled out to no one in particular "Well, I guess this is the real deal. Wonder if we should lend over half of the fleet to Chaos Wraith 'n even things up a bit?" Espio was excited, which was casual for the permanently-edgy chameleon. Being the youngest of the Chaotix, Espio had little battle experience, and was unused to all-out war. He'd have given anything to get assigned with Sonic's team, but he wasn't about to leave Charm' & Vect' to grab the glory!  
  
Vector just switched off his intercom and stared out at the steel warrior, hoping that the action would start soon. Unaccustomed to waiting long, the most aggressive of the Chaotix shrugged, sighed and pulled out the latest issue of the Mossflower Chronicles, hoping to catch a couple hours of quality history before the moment of glory!  
  
*****  
  
"YOU CANNOT STOP ME, BROTHER!" Chaos Wraith roared, the slender, powerful arms of the mechanical hedgehog beginning to push in front of him, slowly breaking through the crumbling barrier of Mecha Sonic's will. "NO! Please don't.." Mecha Sonic's helplessness trailed off, as the sadistic, shadow-consumed android broke what little control his golden counterpart had left of their shared body. With a dismissive shrug and a defiant grimace, the maniacal robot powered up a powerful orb of dark energy, charging it with all the hate he bore towards his softer, emotional side.  
  
My power is eternal! Chaos Wraith boasted to the weakened, defeated corner of his mind, in which Mecha Sonic was laying, crippled and powerless to stop him. And if I have to annihilate every living creature on this planet to prove my power, then so be it! With that last thought, the deadly ball of evil power surged with hatred and malice, causing it to absorb the very warmth and light of the sun itself as the evil android maneuvered his dark emotions over his black-steel spines! Storms and chaos reigned in the skies, surrounding the destructive attack with the ferocity of Chaos Wraith's unimaginable fury!  
  
"HELLSPHERE!" Just as Chaos Wraith prepared to launch the apocalyptic weapon towards the very heart of Mobius, a blue light flickered in the corner of his eye, and he was knocked forwards by the force of a ball of compacted energy, the potent concentration of antimatter particles colliding en-masse to the hard, non-reflective armor of Chaos Wraith. With a shout of surprise, the unstable machine twisted and whirled, attempting to regain control as he shot through the storms.  
  
*****  
  
"Activate the auto-pilot NOW!" Sally commanded, and Sandra pushed a impressive-looking set of buttons, locking the controls. The voice of the ship, calm and feminine, commented coolly on the execution of the lockdown. "Maintaining course. All personnel evacuate!" Sally nodded to Sandra and Rotor, who immediately saluted their commanding officer and rushed to the escape pods, while Sonar performed his final task aboard the Tornado. "Sally, the Recall gate is opening! I give it maybe 30 seconds before completion!" Sally acknowledged the success of their mission, then gestured for the crimson hedgehog to get going. Sonar pulled a crisp salute before departing for his escape pod.  
  
Sally then dashed quickly over to Rotor's station, and pulled a massive switch, sending out a beacon to the Scouts that were hidden in the Arbiter's cloaking field. "Begin attack phase! Engage Chaos Wraith, but do not destroy! En Taro Adun, and good hunting!" With that last action, Sally Acorn ran towards the hatch to her own safety.  
  
*****  
  
"ALRIGHT! LET'S WRASSLE 'IM GOOD!" Charmy shouted over the intercom, glad to finally see some action! Within five seconds, every single Scout vessel under the Chaotix's command were blasting full-speed towards Chaos Wraith. "All units, unload Anti-Matter Missiles, but DO NOT hit Chaos Wraith!" Vector ordered. Quickly, a simultaneous "Missiles unloaded!" sounded throughout the communicators, as a swarm of energy bolts swerved and spiraled at their target, leaving a trail of pulsing sapphire drive trails behind them.  
  
*****  
  
Chaos Wraith finally regained control, miles from the Mystic Caves, his back smoking from the force of the Phase Disruptor blast that had struck him. Anger filled him, causing a bubble of black power to cover the dark menace. With a roar of rage at the near-successful attempt to damage him, Chaos Wraith unleashed the Hellsphere that he had created, hurling it with awesome herculean effort towards the Arbiter that had dared to fire upon him.  
  
The gigantic orb of evil energy completely engulfed the ship, and by some unimaginable level of control, it stayed in that position, the ship trapped inside the ball of darkness. With a grimace of concentration, the hellish machine gestured in a slow, crushing motion with his fist, and the attack slowly became more concentrated, the gravity increasing at an alarming rate, slowly transforming the ball into intangible matter. Golden armor plating and hardened steel hull crumpled like tin paper under the pressure, and the core ruptured quickly. The Tornado exploded, bright blue energy expanding in every direction before being consumed by the lightless mass of hate-filled power.  
  
Chaos Wraith laughed aloud at the destruction, not noticing the missiles suddenly become visible right before him. With a gasp of shock, the sadistic machination held out his hands in front of him, crossing them and tucking his knees to his chin, becoming a ball of steel. However, the dark machine was caught off guard, and the front missile found his right shoulder, glancing off it and colliding with another projectile, its death throes sufficient enough to lash out blue flames to Chaos Wraith's side, engulfing his right arm and back in a cobalt fire of superheated plasma.  
  
*****  
  
Sonic heard the heart-rending shriek of his lethal enemy, the very tops of the hills seeming to shake and quail under the terrible, agonized wail of Chaos Wraith. Sonic immediately kicked it into overdrive, grabbing hold of Antoine and blazing towards the cavern entrance, barely in view over the Hill Tops. Tails followed close behind, carrying in tow his secret love, Amy Rose. The sensitive hedgehog covered her ears, feeling pity and sorrow for the honorable rival lying trapped within that monster's cold, black-hearted shell.  
  
"I sure hope Mecha Sonic's alright!" Amy softly spoke to Tails. "This must be awful for him, to have his body totally destroyed by that soulless steel demon!" Tails nodded, knowing deep down inside that Mecha Sonic was a victim of his own emotions, and that no one but Mecha Sonic could combat the rage and hatred of Chaos Wraith. The young fox was about to answer, when something sharp pierced his leg, causing him to cry out in pain. With a shout of concern, Amy looked around as Tails began to lose altitude. They had just passed a plateau, a really high one, but when her eyes met those of their assailant, she shivered. They were cold and devoid of emotion, yet living, in a shell of vicious spikes and muscular chitin.  
  
"HYDRALISKS!" Amy managed to shout, before leaping down from Tails, who was beginning to lose consciousness. Without hesitation, she ran forward to try and catch the injured fox, even as the reptilian Zerg soldiers scaled down the cliffside, much akin to some insect, in pursuit, doggedly chasing the living, energetic prey. With a grunt and a yell, Amy leaped into the air, the claws of the lead Hydralisk barely missing her slender legs as she grabbed Tails from the air and landed heavily on her side, ignoring the pain as she shook Tails.  
  
"Get up, Tails! Please, get up! TAILS?" Amy didn't notice the Hydralisks slither towards her, and as the razor spikes that were its claws slashed downwards at her unprotected throat, a sudden gout of blood erupted from the lead predatory alien, cauterized even before the chest and head of the Hydralisk separated from its snake-like body, still writhing in its death throes. Sonic stood ready, the blurring blue light emitted from his warp blade slashing through the ranks of the deadly swarm, causing confusion and chaos among the alien menace as they fell to smoking pieces. Amy joined in, standing over Tails and unleashing streams of potent plasma from her disruptor cannon, giving a roar of rage and battle-fury as Hydralisks erupted in clouds of gore, exploding from the inside.  
  
Amy picked up Tails as Sonic finished off the last Hydralisk. Sonic's ear and cheek had been clipped by a stray spike, and Amy had taken a cut to her side, the lethal spiked claws piercing the hardened armor, but they stood defiantly among the fallen heap of slashed and blasted Zerg soldiers, breathing heavily as the red mist of battlewrath left their eyes. Sonic grabbed Amy's hand, and raced towards the Mystic Caves, dashing so quickly that the entryway remained solid in appearance, not flickering for a second.  
  
*****  
  
In the air, Chaos Wraith fell to the earth, damaged heavily by the sudden ferocity of the Protoss. His right arm was completely useless, crippled by the series of explosions that had been caused by the surprise barrage, black oil leaking from a serious rupture in his back and side. Before he crashed, the injured machine had read the life signs of his antagonists, and was caught off guard: the signs matched those of Sally Acorn, Rotor, the Chaotix, and two unfamiliar Mobians. But, if they were alive, that meant...  
  
"SONIC! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DIE LIKE ANYONE ELSE?" The Chaos Wraith screamed aloud as he impacted with the hard stone surface of the Aquatic Ruins, where his predecessor, Silver Sonic, had been created in secret by his own creator, Dr. Robotnik. The dark, robotic blood splashed onto the soil, actually burning away the hard marble as he skidded roughly into the oceanic city. The water seeped deep into his coolant system, filling it with cool, fresh hydro, and a sudden change took over him. With a sigh, the mechanical monstrosity became as crystal-clear as the water, and mechamorphed into Mecha Sonic, armor changing from black to gold, and then to blue as the Emerald's power became exhausted.  
  
"I must weaken him somehow!" The iron-clad hedgehog whispered in the sunlit lake, watching the reflections of the eternally-comforting star as its light shone brightly on the surface of the water. Then, with a deliberate slowness in his actions, the restored will of Mecha Sonic moved his functioning arm to flick open the charred, dented, silver chestplate, carefully removing the source of his ascended energies. With a sigh of relaxation, ignoring the searing pain from his damaged right side, the fading spirit of the honest creation channeled his temporarily-cleansed powers into the Chaos Emerald of Thunder, causing a heavenly white glow to radiate from the mystical jewel. Then, with a flash of angelic light, the powerful talisman faded out of sight, teleported by the last reserves of Mecha Sonic's strength.  
  
With a smile of satisfaction and peace, Mecha Sonic closed his eyes and embraced the refreshingly cool pond, before fainting completely, the sheer exhaustion and pain overtaking his machine-like endurance. For a split moment, the black, oily fluid seeping from his back and arm began to shimmer and turn crimson, blossoming like some enchanted rose, exiting its protective shelter and showing its true life for all to see. Then, it suddenly evaporated, absorbed by the clear water, disappearing at the same time as the neon-lighted vision of the tired, resting figure of Mecha Sonic.  
  
***** Sonic laid Amy and Tails down, immediately checking the young fox's temperature. The bleeding in the cub's leg had settled down to a trickle, and his forehead had become enflamed, the signs of a serious fever. Antoine had been running, seeing the poor condition they were in. "What happened? I heard screaming and explosions, so I came back to help out!" Sonic nodded at Antoine, surprised at the sudden show of selfless courage in his usually- nervous friend. Amy was crying, worried deeply for her greatest love. Sonic had managed to remove the razor-sharp Hydralisk spines from the wound, but Tails needed some real help. He wasn't going to make it, otherwise.  
  
Amy ripped a long piece of her shirt, modesty and shyness forgotten in her drive to protect and care for the injured fox-cub she had fallen for, and fastened it tightly around the pierced leg, stemming the blood loss and closing the wound temporarily. Sonic nodded understandingly, lifting the unconscious, paled form of Tails onto his shoulders and grabbing Amy's hand, running towards the Mystic Caves for all he was worth. Labored gasps for air surged through his calm, cool facade, his body weary from the previous expenditure of speed, yet he strove to pull hidden reserves of endurance from his battle-hardened spirit. With a lunge and a shout of pain, the powerful hedgehog blasted forward, Antoine following in his wake, barely keeping up on the hoverboard he had borrowed from the Chaotix.  
  
Suddenly, Sonic yelled out "DAMN!", as his rapidly-blurring shoes connected with a jutting rock in the path, sending him flying into the darkness, and slamming solidly into a pair of silhouettes standing just outside of a large chamber in the tunnel. With a groan of pain, the battered blue hedgehog lifted himself from the confusion, plucking green spikes and soft pink hair from his arms. Realization dawned on him, and he turned, helping up a winded, muscular hedgehog from the impact zone, patting him on the back.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that, Manic! How's it hangin' bro?" Sonic tried his best to sound off-handed, narrowly dodging the playful right hook his stronger brother threw. "Sonic, you blue jerk! I oughta deck you right here!" Both laughed and embraced, slugging each other in the arms. With a shrug of happiness, Sonic then got to Sonia, who was busy brushing the dust and dirt from her hair and skirt. "Well, Manic, if you don't, I will! Sonic, you loser! This is gonna take hours to get rid of!" Sonic rolled his eyes: some things never changed! "Aw, I don't know, sis'. I think it adds a natural air to your looks!" Sonia's mood immediately changed, from annoyance to serious business.  
  
"The other Freedom Fighters are gathered up, as well as any others we could find and get here!" Sonic nodded, and related the recent events as he undid his backpack, handing his two siblings an extra pair of disruptor cannons. "We should be able to get back to the Shuttles without any serious trouble. Chaos Wraith went down a while ago, but we were ambushed by a swarm of Zerg, so we may need these." Sonia and Manic understood: They had been watching from afar through their binoculars, but couldn't leave the Mobian refugees behind. "Where's Sally and the others?" Sonia asked, eager to see her sister-in-law.  
  
Sonic answered, a note of worry in his voice. "Sally and the Chaotix distracted Chaos Wraith long enough my team to get here and evacuate the Mobian survivors!" Suddenly, with a look of concern on his face, the quickest being on Mobius broke every record related to speed at once, rushing to check on Tails. Luckily, Amy had seen the danger beforehand, and had leaped off of Sonic's rushing ride, grabbing Tails in her arms just as the fastest being on Mobius rammed his foot against the hard, unscathed object. Stroking the young fox's head softly and grinning profusely.  
  
"Thought you had quick eyes, blue boy!" Sonic shrugged and rubbed his hurting toe, ticked off and confused. Why hadn't he seen the obstacle? Then, his memory flashed back, and Sonic's eyes widened. A golden light had flickered on the ground, then something glinted, emitting a crackling sound. Like it was charged with electricity...  
  
"It can't be..." Sonic blurted out, back to where he had began his head- first trip. There, shimmering in the dark, surging with power, was a Chaos Emerald! "What's Sonic talking about?" Sonia and Manic both asked at the same time, as they watched him struggling to dislodge something from the ground. Suddenly, they gasped aloud, and Amy felt something inside her twist, as Sonic turned, holding a shimmering, energetic jewel.  
  
"Chaos Wraith must have lost control when he got damaged." Sonic theorized aloud, inwardly knowing that the fight was beginning to turn in their favor. "Mecha Sonic had just enough energy to transport the emerald away." Amy and Sonic bowed their heads, feeling pity and sorrow at the sacrifice the true warrior had made. "This also means that Chaos Wraith, when he regains control, is going to have to lay low a while, since he can now only rely on Mecha Sonic's repair systems."  
  
Sonia and Manic nodded, understanding completely. Then, with a flick of her paw, Sonia indicated the riveted audience behind her. The entire population of Mobius, an impressive rabble of creatures, had been listening to every word. Sonic scratched behind his ear, embarrassed at the attention, then managed to yell out to his followers. "Right, everybody! Follow me, and stay in the group! We won't have to worry 'bout Mecha Sonic, but there are aliens around still, new ones! Keep an eye out, and give a shout if you see anything!" With that, the Freedom Fighters assembled the Mobian populace and moved out.  
  
"Ant', take Manic ahead and keep watch." Antoine and Manic ran forward, gripping their firearms in grim anticipation. "Sandra, you know more about wounds than us. Think you can patch up Tails?" Sandra Nightweaver, who had always been protective of Tails, rushed to comply, cleaning and redressing the deep injury on Tails' leg, while Sonic and Amy looked on.  
  
*****  
  
"Our work's done! Call in the Gantrithor to pick up Sonic's team when they arrive." Flicking a switch on their hidden Observer craft, Rotor moved quickly, activating the radio to Tassadar's massive Carrier. "Executor, the dimensional recall gate is set. Prepare for the evacuation!" Then, turning it off, the experienced walrus turned to his commanding officer. Sally nodded her approval, then turned to her navigation post. "Sandra, take us out of here. I've got a bad feeling all of a sudden..." Before Sandra could move, there was a sudden blur past the viewscreen, and an explosion rocked the miniscule recon ship.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL!" Sandra yelled, heavily surprised by the sudden attack. With quick reflexes, she directed the small ship downward, in a nosedive for the mountainside, small creatures screaming past the agile target. Then, with a grimace of concentration, she pulled upward, the Observer veering up into the stratosphere. Below her, a series of powerful blasts slammed into the mountainside, and Sonar, currently at the radar post, got a fix on a cluster of Zerg signals.  
  
"We got problems! Fleets of Zerg Scourge are swarming in everywhere!" Sally cursed under her breath, then spoke into Nicole, directing her orders to the Scout fleet. "All Scouts scramble and fire at will! We are under attack! Scourge are coming in fast!" Then, another of the sleek, rocket- like monsters flew by, barely missing the wing of the ship. The Chaotix had their hands full, all of the squadrons attempting to both outfly and blast away the relentless onslaught of Scourge that had flown in.  
  
***** Vector swore loudly over the comm as one collided head on with his own Scout, wiping out his shields and, in turn, damaging his missile capability. "All units switch to guns. Missiles will not be effective!" The small fleet hastened to comply, showing the Zerg that quality far overcame quantity, blasting with impunity with their energy guns at the small targets, holing large numbers of them in short time with potent volleys of small photon charges. Suddenly, a blue explosion flared in Vector's viewscreen, and a hissing curse was cut off the pilot intercom. With a quick flick, the muscular pilot checked the status of the Scout fleet. Espio's fighter was missing from the roster...  
  
"ESPIO!" Vector and Charmy both roared over the comm, and suddenly, the Zerg Scourge felt fear. Several tried to escape at once, only to be engulfed in blue fire by the maddened, vengeful pilots. They came in from every angle, berserk with grief and rage, blasting anything smaller than them with destructive impunity. Charred alien tissue disintegrated, and soon the fight was over. None of the Zerg survived, wiped out by a pair of avenging starfighters, who had single-handedly burned their way through the ranks of their foes with anger and lethal sorrow. Death and destruction was left behind in the wrathful Chaotix wake.  
  
*****  
  
"KEEP MOVING" Manic shouted to the Mobians, as Antoine covered their backs. A flock of Mutalisks, odd flying creatures that resembled chitinous serpents, had just recently made their presence known. Antoine was unleashing hell upon the alien menace, blasting with precision at random targets with his disrupter cannon. Manic soon joined the barrage, unloading powerful concentrations of kinetic impact with his concussion rifle, holing the enemy with explosive-tipped steel shells. Mutalisks were disappearing left and right, barely having time to rally for a final attack.  
  
Suddenly, it was the Zerg's turn to unload some wrath upon these aggressive creatures. With a shriek, the deadly monsters swooped down, unleashing glowing, spiked missiles at random towards the targets below. Mobians were cut down as they ran, pierced by the lethal projectiles. Manic leapt to one side, allowing one of the deadly shards graze by, before giving back some firepower of his own. Antoine ducked just in time, losing an ear to a stray blade. With an shout of pain, he ran recklessly forward, shooting and blasting away at the flying threat. Then, it was over. Not a single Zerg was in sight for miles.  
  
Manic sighed in frustration and grief. They had lost a good number of innocent people to those airborne freaks. Without warning, though, a blue streak of light flew past them, barely missing the tip of the green hedgehog's nose. Abruptly, Sonic stopped, weapon ready in his hand. Amy, Sandra Nightweaver and Sonia were right behind, carrying Tails between them. "What happened?" Manic shouted over the screaming, panicked crowd. Sonic grimaced and pointed backwards. "There're a bunch of 'em coming this way! Too many to hold off for very long!" The hedgehogs gripped their weapons tightly, preparing for a last stand against the overwhelming odds.  
  
End There you have it! After banding with the Protoss, the Freedom Fighters being their daring rescue mission of the Mobian civilians from the dangerous Chaos Wraith. After a brief confrontation, the maddened machine is apparently destroyed, crashing straight through the ground into the Aquatic Ruins. The dying Mecha Sonic transports the Chaos Emerald of Thunder to Sonic, and the evacuation begins, as the Zerg suddenly assault the Freedom Fighters. Tails is wounded, and Espio is killed during a furious dogfight, but now they are under siege by a mighty Zerg horde, which threatens to wipe out the fleeing Mobian survivors. Can Sonic's small task force stop this tidal wave of primal evil? Tune in to Chapter 5: Deep Injuries! 


	6. Deep Injuries

Mechanical Monstrosity Chapter 5: Deep Injuries  
  
I am darkness. Absolute, pure midnight. I have only one function: the destruction of all inferior beings, to secure my place as the superior creation. My anger and fury serve as my weapons, and my rage can bend space and time to my will. The evil within me cannot be stopped. One cannot befriend my kind. I am cold unlife, an instrument of death and suffering, made for the sole purpose of the murder and conquest of all before me. Black is the only purity in this existence. Black absorbs all color and light. Black is darkness and death, war and despair. Black is the emptiness within my core. Black is the space where my heart does not exist. Black is anger and fear, rage and hate. Black is the mantle of my cloak, and black is the curse of all those who exist within the ultimate purity of the Chaos Wraith's black shadow.  
  
The 'Wraith's Lament', removed from the mainframe of Mecha Sonic's 'Chaos Wraith' programming and transferred to the Temple of Shadows, on the Dark Templar home world of Shakuras.  
  
*****  
  
The scent was growing stronger... yes, something was definitely close! The lead Zergling leapt forward with a sudden outburst of speed, young and eager to attack the lone prey. That was its last thought, though, as a sudden blur of blue energy slashed it in half, even as it leaped towards the spiny blue head of its intended victim. Sonic immediately deactivated his warp blade, transferring the power to the shields that had been inserted to his golden armor, and rolled into a ball, becoming a spinning blue wheel of light.  
  
"SONIC SPIN!" Sonic yelled out from the glowing sapphire sphere, and he blasted through the horde, sending a large number of the leaping monsters flying into the air, and just plowing a hole right through the larger populace. Chaos reigned among the smaller form of Zerg, but that was only the first phase. With a laugh of success, he thumbed a trigger on his arm-mounted blade. Following that move, a series of blue explosions rocked the clustered swarm, as several hidden scarab drones destabilized their powerful electromagnetic fields, sending gigantic waves of energy throughout the area.  
  
*****  
  
Deep in the aquatic ruins that he had recently plummeted into, Mecha Sonic slowly came back to consciousness, shaking his head in confusion and disorientation. "What. where. am. I." Holding his maimed arm, grimacing with pain, he began to kick up towards the surface, slowly making his way to the life-giving oxygen that would fuel his auxiliary core to power again. "Why. was. I. spared. release." The blue machination clumsily broke the water's roof, struggling to reach dry land and taking in precious air.  
  
As the heavily-damaged cyber-warrior dragged up onto the shoreline, his eyes glowing with concentration, he began to recollect his recent memories. Right. the Chaos Wraith. my arm. the Emerald. I sent it away from this evil shell. he must still be weak from the attack. must finish it! With those thoughts, Mecha Sonic reached towards his unhurt wrist, grunting and wincing in agonizing pain as he forced his scrapped arm to make the small motions it would take to open his final release.  
  
Slowly. just take it slowly. there! Mecha Sonic smiled, in spite of himself, as his bloodied hand contacted his shining wrist. Now. just work the fingers. carefully. The slender steel digits worked along the wrist plate, seeking and searching with the caution of experience. There. found it. now, just push and lift. The robot's wrist plate opened, revealing an array of buttons and warning signs. Now, if I can just. push... aaaggghhhhh!!  
  
*****  
  
With a grin of satisfaction, Sonic sped back through the decimated attackers, reaching the refugee Mobians in short time. Manic and Sonia, still gripping their own weapons uneasily, waved at their brother. Manic gave a high five as Sonic ground to a halt, and Sonia flipped a bang of pink hair from her attentive eyes. "Took care of 'em all!" Sonic quickly reported on his counterattack. Manic nodded, smiling with a sense of pride, and motioned for the surviving Mobians to get into the waiting Shuttles. With a shout of victory, they ran into the powered Transports.  
  
"Hold on for just a bit, Tails!" Amy comforted the injured young fox that she loved. "We're almost home free, and you'll be fine!" Amy prepared to lift him up, when he quietly moaned, and picked himself slowly from the ground, smiling in spite of the pain. "TAILS!" Amy gasped and gently hugged him in relief and joy, and Tails feebly returned the favor, still a little dizzy from the loss of blood. "Are you able to walk?" Tails nodded and stood up, wrapping an arm around Amy's shoulder for support.  
  
"Come on, you two. Much as I'm glad to see ya awake and all, lil bro, we can't linger here!" Amy nodded, and helped Tails towards the Shuttles. Sonic smiled, and wiped a tear from his eye, suddenly wondering once again where Sally could be.  
  
*****  
  
Sally Acorn locked the controls, as their descent was taking them into the area just 10 kilos east of Sonic's position. Then, with a yell, she ordered her crew to buckle up and brace for impact. Sandra Vixen, Sonar Spine, Rotor Walrus and Bunnie Rabbot all activated their plasma shields and held on tight to the specialized braces that had been set for crashes. Then, with a lurch and a shimmer of energy, the Observer craft slammed into Mobian soil, thankfully missing the trees and spending the bulk of its shields on the ground. It skidded along the ground for a while, eventually stopping with a sudden jolt. The rear hatch opened, and warning lights flared on.  
  
Sally and Sonar were the first to spring out, pulling out their specialized rifles, each loaded with a fair quantity of photon charges. They gestured a 'clear' sign, and Rotor and Bunnie jumped out, armed with high-power A/M missile launchers. They began to move out, when Sonar yelled something. the others couldn't tell, as the crash noise had temporarily deafened them. Sally turned, and let out a gasp of horror. Sandra Vixen was slumped in her seat, her jet-black fur losing its brilliant luster. Blood trickled from a wound on the back of her head.  
  
Before Sally could move in to help her, Sonar shouted out his grief, and sped forwards, suddenly going too fast for the others to notice. Sally, however, was too worried and concerned to be surprised, and rushed behind Sonar, pulling out the former marines even as the Observer was engulfed in the white-and-blue flames of Protoss energy. Sonar laid Sandra down on the soft bed of the Mobian grass, which had grown quite profusely in the soothing heat of the latent psionic energies that had spewed from the obliterated spacecraft.  
  
Sally quietly uttered a prayer to her ancestors, as Sonar checked the stunned vixen's pulse rate. It was faint. the aspiring warrior was fading from the plane of mortal existence. Sonar wept openly, for the first time in his life, feeling helplessness and sorrow creep into his soul as Sandra Vixen's life force drained away. But suddenly, a mystical blue aura surrounded the dying peace-keeper, and with a sigh, a winged figure appeared above Sonar's fallen friend, an entity made of the same pure light that powered the Protoss' psionic machinery.  
  
"I. remember now. so many years ago." Sandra's crushed form whispered. Sonar smiled and strained his ears, trying to hear her last words. "So long ago. before the time of Robotnik. before the Robot Wars. I was young and happy. me and my mate. we lived peacefully. no thoughts of war. of battle. of death." She grimaced and coughed, but continued on. "We had been blessed. a young cub. my only light. before a shadow fell. it attacked. death was everywhere." Her eyes began to dim, and Sonar began to worry again.  
  
"Sandra. please, save your strength." Sonar pleaded, but Sandra smiled and shook her head, continuing her memories. Her strength didn't seem to fall, as if she was willing herself to finish this last tale.  
  
"There was a figure, surrounded in light. our elder, the wisest of us. I asked her to take my child. we were hunted down. the shadow found us. it killed everyone. a dark flame. I was thrown back. fiery pain in my head." Sandra screamed, as if a great pain had entered her head. "It was all black. I couldn't remember. I am Sandra Vixen. no. Sandra. Prower." That was her last breath. With a sigh, and a calm smile, Sandra Prower, mother of Miles 'Tails' Prower, spent her last life.  
  
"Sonar, do not feel sad for me." A voice entered the sobbing hedgehog's head, and he looked up, seeing a beautiful vixen, clad in a flowing white dress, and hovering with wings of golden light. "You are my true friend, and I know you will honor my memories and dreams. Help Sally and Sonic defeat the darkness that threatens our home, and defend those who cannot protect themselves!" Sonar nodded, no longer crying, but solemnly nodding, and eventually smiling at the heavenly spirit.  
  
"Sally. protect my son. keep Miles from the darkness, and guide him along the path of light. but also, give him something. a memory, which I hid many years ago. it is within your home, encrusted in the 'Star of Mobius'!" Sally nodded, bowing in silence to the soul of Sandra Prower as it prepared to leave. "My strength is with all of you! We are not diminished, but stronger and more determined! Defeat the darkness, for the fate of the universe!" And with those final words, the angel glowed with blue energy, then seemed to burst into supernatural light, fading away to a higher plane of existence.  
  
*****  
  
"AWWWW!!! Isn't that touching?" A dark voice leered in the caverns beneath the solemn survivors of the near-fatal crash landing. It laughed quietly for a bit, enjoying its own dark humor and feeling of power, until a second voice cut into its tirade, softer, and yet grievous and clear. "Sandra Prower. a dark flame. YOU SADISTIC MONSTER!!" A sudden, muffled shout rang out, as a hardened-steel shell impacted into the side of the darkened catacomb.  
  
*****  
  
Sally and Sonar stood alone for a while, in their minds swearing to honor their friend's spirit by fulfilling her wishes. However, the ground suddenly shook underneath them, and loud voices could be heard underneath the Mobian soil. One was unmistakenably evil, a purely tainted tone that seemed to radiate murder and power. The other was remarkably familiar, to the keen ears of Bunnie Rabbot, who bolted upwards silently and whispered to the others, with an excited, scared look in her eyes.  
  
Sally's eyes widened with terror for a mere second, then she responded, quickly, coolly and with an urgent tone behind her quiet voice. "Sonar, Rotor, you two get Sandra. We aren't leaving her behind. Bunnie, run ahead and tell the others to get moving, and fast!" They all rushed to do their tasks, knowing that it was only a matter of time before their enemy would regain his balance.  
  
*****  
  
Underneath the feet of the retreating fighters, the battle raged on, as the figure smashed from surface to surface, not taking on any damage, but threatening to bring down the mountain itself. The sinister voice picked up again, suddenly apprehensive. "Heh, not that I'm worried or anything, but I think we're getting a little too rough." The other voice, which had a cocky ring to it, replied simply, with just a shadow of grim determination in its tone. "Aw, come on! What's a little fun to you? We'll bring the roof down, just you 'n me!" Another hit into the cavern wall sent a more violent tremor throughout the outside surface, from the thick, sturdy stone base, to the frost-smitten tip of the colossal peak.  
  
Now the evil combatant's voice returned, with a more menacing undertone. "Really! I must insist that we stop. Don't YOU agree?" The formerly arrogant voice returned, but it was no longer as insolent as it had been. However, it became more determined, with little sign of the searing pain that was tearing through its mind, and still made light of the situation. "No pain, no gain, brother! But if it's the dark you're afraid of, I might be able to lend you a little night light." The dark speaker roared in anger, then screamed in pain as a massive explosion of blue energy blasted the catacombs, rocking it with the force of a nuclear warhead, and literally collapsing the entire mountain range down on them.  
  
*****  
  
Sonic's eyes darted over to the muffled blast, and watched in fascination and anxiety as the entire Hill Top region caved down to the ground. Huge seismic powers were unleashed, sending tremors throughout the Emerald Hills and the fabled Mystic Caves. The Knothole refugees were scared, just short of panicking, but Amy was quick to realize the situation. "EVERYONE!! Get to the shuttles, but stay calm! We don't want anyone to hurt themselves!" This galvanized the civilians into action, every one of them running for the safety of the Protoss Shuttles. All but two of them.  
  
The former double agent Cyrus stayed behind, helping Amy lift Tails as the Mobian Resistance leaders began to move out themselves. "Just another quiet day in Knothole! We'll wait for you, Sonic!" Sonic waved off the true-hearted ally, and then acknowledged the other civilian. He was surprised, for once. it was Shadow the Hedgehog, one of his long-time enemies! Sonic walked over to him warily, feeling quite untrusting of his cunning and unpredictable rival, one who had formerly been a close cousin to him. Shadow saw this and shrugged, an arrogant grin working its way on his face.  
  
"Well, cuz, looks like it's the end of Mobius again!" Shadow yelled to his former enemy, and Sonic was caught off guard. there was no sarcasm in his tone. Shadow laughed half-heartedly and crossed his arms, almost smiling. "This time, I'm not goin' out on the wrong side! Sign me up, cousin!" Sonic smiled himself, knowing that Shadow was sincere this time. slowly, their list of allies was growing.  
  
"Right, you're in! You still got the speed?" Sonic asked his kin, more to annoy him than anything. Shadow laughed and held his hands up. On each finger was a shining golden ring, which gave off a warm white glow. Shadow's eyes shined with energy that hadn't been there before. Sonic grinned, flicking the crackling Chaos Emerald from hand to hand, feeling some anticipation as they both got ready for their ordeal. "Don't activate till he gets loose!" Shadow nodded and cracked his knuckles, anxious to start a good fight.  
  
"You guys aren't thinking of starting the fight without us, are you?" A voice rang out in the distance. Sonic turned and waved to Sonar, who had just broken through the last of the dense emerald-green jungles. Then, a sudden realization broke in on Sonic, as the silver blur just missed the tip of his nose. He blurred after the practically-invisible Marine, slapping him a high five as he caught up with the shining streak of speed.  
  
"Well, where're the others?" Sonic shouted to the speeding hedgehog. Sonar stopped and pointed to the jungle he had recently exited, then his mouth went dry with fear, as a black explosion ripped upwards. The blast tore through the ground behind the retreating Resistance members, throwing Sally and the rest forwards with a powerful secondary detonation. Sonic was there instantly, catching Sally and Sandra, and noticing with a grimace of regret that the vixen was beyond help.  
  
"Hey, bro! We gotta get moving!" Manic called to his brother. Sonic handed the body of Sandra to Sonar, who quickly moved her to the transport. Shadow, Sonic and Sonar then tensed up, preparing themselves for their ordeal. It wasn't long in coming, as a pair of red eyes flashed in the crater caused by the attack. With a laugh that sounded more like a scream, the terrible, shadowy form of the Chaos Wraith landed before them, stretching in anticipation.  
  
"Now then, here is the deal!" The mechanical monstrosity leered at the three hedgehogs, paying particular attention to Sonic. "You, my blue- haired adversary, have something that belongs to me. give it to me, and I'll consider letting the other two live." Shadow and Sonar scowled deeply, and Sonic grimaced, tightening his grip on the Emerald. "Of course, you could try to keep it from me, and then I will have the pleasure of prying it from your broken body." Chaos Wraith then smiled, a horribly sadistic chuckle emanating from the scion of evil.  
  
Sonic had heard enough, though, and nodded to Sonar and Shadow. With a flash of blinding light, Sonic charged up, hovering in the air as his body suddenly became the target of multiple storms. Pure electricity crashed into the hedgehog's form, empowering him with the energies of the Emerald, and Sonic then became Super Sonic. Shadow's rings glinted, and an aura of white-and-gold power surrounded the darker kin of Sonic, the intense energy melting away the ground underneath him, as well as any rocks and debris surrounding him. Sonar picked up a pair of discarded Psionic Blade arm plates, charging them to full power and readying himself to strike.  
  
Sonic went first, transforming into an orb of golden electricity and hurtling towards Chaos Wraith with all his speed. Chaos Wraith just laughed and fired a beam of dark energy, then cursed as the hedgehog cut through the attack. Then, the sadistic monster's eyes widened in surprise as the glowing sphere seemed to multiply, catching him off guard just long enough for Sonic to surge forward. The rapidly-rolling ball of thunder collided into the hellish machine's chest, causing him to double over in the air. Sonic swerved aside upon contact, barely dodging a furious swipe from the winded shadow's metal fist. As Sonic blurred in place, avoiding each disastrously-powerful punch the angered machine threw, Sonar came in from the right. With a shout of dismay, Chaos Wraith noticed the threat too late, and yelled out in pain as the silver hedgehog struck. A pair of blue flashes slammed into the armored head of the doomsday machine, causing it to lurch forward from the force. A trickle of fluid dripped from the thick forest of black spines, the only sign that the energy daggers had inflicted any sort of damage. Before Chaos Wraith could recover, Shadow came in from below, smashing head-first into his metal-plated chin.  
  
The power of the blow sent Chaos Wraith speeding upwards, just in time to meet Sonic, who slammed his boot in a quick kick to the evil warrior's back. With a scream borne more of hatred than pain, the dark robot plunged down to Mobius, unable to pull out of the plummet. Just as he was about to impact, the three hedgehogs simultaneously fired themselves into his shoulders and back, driving him through a grand mountain before lurching to a stop. Acting quickly, Super Sonic grabbed his allies' arms and bolted out of the deep tunnel that their impact had created, and quickly deposited them upwards in the stratosphere. Then, with a quick movement, he aimed his hands towards the hole, and gathered energy for an attack.  
  
*****  
  
Chaos Wraith groaned and picked himself up, disoriented by the attack. Then, his sensors flared with alarms and klaxons. With a cry of surprise, he looked upwards to where the power was emanating, right above his head. "The hedgehog... HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? THAT POWER LEVEL. I can't defend against it!! I MUST ESCAPE!" Suddenly he was blasting through the underground, desperate to evade the more powerful warrior. Then, before he could suppress it, another voice cut into his thoughts.  
  
"What's this? Running from an inferior being?" The voice leered. Chaos Wraith stoically blasted on, ignoring the goading tone of his counterpart's thoughts. "Well, I guess you aren't as powerful as you thought, brother!" This struck Chaos Wraith as if he had been punched across his iron face. He snarled out his own answer aloud, continuing his escape.  
  
"Don't you worry, brother. I have other ways to even the odds." Suddenly, the machine halted, finding itself held in place. It became engulfed in white light, before finally transforming to a deep blue. Mecha Sonic then lost no time in backtracking through the specially-made catacombs, berating his alter ego the entire time.  
  
"First, you go and invade my body, twisting my thoughts and actions to serve your sadistic purposes!" Mecha Sonic ground out the words between his mechanical transmitters, even as his personal sensors indicated that Sonic's energy had finished building up. "Then, you attempt to destroy my rival's friends, out of cowardice and spite." About that time, Mecha Sonic reached the bottom of the tunnel-like crater where he'd landed. "And now that you know how truly weak you are, you attempt to run away from a creature you swore to kill." The bitterness and mocking tone of the blue robot's voice stung his alter ego incredibly, and inside Mecha Sonic's steel shell, a dark shadow watched in terror as the mechanical warrior blazed upwards to meet the incoming blast.  
  
Sonic saw the blue pulse coming upwards, and judged the time to be right. With a shout, he unleashed an incredible beam of golden energy, which thundered down towards the ascending machine. With a laugh of triumph, Mecha Sonic collided with the attack, and an explosion of tremendous power actually shook Mobius, causing the very planet to tremble and shudder. A glint of smoking steel dropped from the massive energy flux, and it suddenly became as hellish as a dark sun, radiating evil energy.  
  
"Soon, dark one. that blast weakened us just enough for me to activate my self-destruct mechanism. Now we both die!" With a scream of rage and pain, the demonic war engine, already losing a massive amount of mechanical fluids and black blood, started to blink rapidly with energy, which seemed to strike at the very soul of the evil being. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and a black, nightmarish shadow emerged from the iron shell, barely outrunning a series of blue explosions that emitted from the destructing warrior.  
  
"Guess. I win. demon." With a sigh of satisfaction, the neon eyes glowed brightly, then faded to black, as the obliterated form of Mecha Sonic smashed hard into the ground, bouncing with terrible force off of the cliffside. Yet, despite the destructive impact of the wrecked machination, it didn't flinch, or even grunt in pain. it didn't even feel the hard stones collide with its body. it couldn't feel anything but peace.  
  
*****  
  
AAAGGHHHH!!! The Chaos Wraith screamed, bereft of physical form, now traveling through the skies as a shadow, desperately making ground between itself and the deadly warriors that had obliterated its means of existence. I must find another shell. but there are none with appropriate power or thoughts. Passing over colony after colony of Zerg yielded no results for the dark force, as the Zerg were a controlled race, built as a hive mentality without personality. This planet's individual evils have all been destroyed! Mobius is no longer safe or useful. time to leave! With a shrieking cry of rage, which howled through the wind as some disturbing elemental force, the being launched itself into space, making a beeline for the next galaxy.  
  
*****  
  
Sonar, Sonic and Shadow landed, powering down to their original selves. Sonar discarded the Psionic Blades and walked towards the metallic remains of their enemy's enemy. An respectful silence took reign over the three hedgehog fighters, and without a word, Sonic lifted the remarkably light figure of Mecha Sonic over his shoulder, and raced towards the Shuttles. Shadow and Sonar followed close behind, carrying several parts that had been littered around the scene. Behind them, a vast sea of Ultralisks thundered towards them, bone sickles clashing like lightning as they stampeded into the gorge.  
  
Without effort, the three hedgehogs leapt into a launching Shuttle, skidding to halt in the canopy as the bay door closed behind them. With a nod to Sally, the Freedom Fighters were off, leaving behind a confused melee of gargantuan behemoths to fight each other.  
  
***** Several hours later, Tails returned to his quarters on the Gantrithor, flexing his mended leg with satisfaction. It had taken mere minutes for the advanced healing technologies of the Protoss to heal the wounded Mobians, and Tails had received immediate treatment, thanks to a little authoritive backing by Fenix. He talked at length with Amy, asking about the battle and their plans.  
  
"I don't know what Tassadar plans to do. but the battle was one to remember!" Amy smiled, remembering the thrill of the danger, the feeling of maturity that protecting the wounded and defenseless had bestowed upon her, and the sadness of lost friends and near-disastrous clashes. "Chaos Wraith's gone, at least for now, and the Zerg are unable to touch us out here." Tails nodded, feeling relief and cheer that the Mobian populace was, for the moment, safe from the threat of both the Zerg and Chaos Wraith.  
  
Sonic and Sally met them at the door, a sad smile on their faces. Tails and Amy cheerfully waved to the leaders of the Mobian Resistance, and they returned the gesture half-heartedly. "Tails, there's something you need to know." Tails was almost frightened by the tone of Sally's voice, and the young fox walked over to the couple, feeling an ominous sense of foreboding. Amy looked in Sonic's eyes, and caught the repressed sadness within their deep black centers. Without a word, she left the three alone, deciding to check on their long-time rival's condition.  
  
*****  
  
"What's wrong?" Tails asked, as the three Freedom Fighter leaders slowly walked through the corridors of the Gantrithor. Sonic just nodded towards a door in the hall, labeled 'Chamber of Memories'. Tails' breath caught in his throat, and his heart skipped several beats. A deep knot of pain and fear gripped his soul, as he entered the chamber, where the fallen Mobians and Protoss had been entombed. Sally and Sonic waited at the door, teary eyes glancing at each other with deep sadness and grief.  
  
The young fox looked at the Mobians, who had been encased within imperishable caskets of some foreign wood, inlaid with the beautiful, strong Protoss metal, and decorated with countless jewels. Each had a shining sheet of Khaydarin pressed to a stone plaque below the lost soul. Tails stopped at one such shrine, passing a hand gently over the glass-like roof. The muscular build and peaceful expression of Knuckles hadn't diminished, though it had been weeks after the fading of Knuckles' spirit. Even the bristly crimson fur, and ruby-coloured shock of hair, hadn't lost any of its brilliance or luster. Closing his eyes in respect, the fox cub nodded his gratitude to the fallen hero, before moving on.  
  
Tails came upon the fallen Chaotix next, enshrined beside each other. A flicker of surprise lit Miles' face at seeing Mighty, who had sacrificed himself within the deep tunnels of an erupting volcano, resting peacefully in an eternal dream. Then, with a gasp of terror, he saw the preserved body of Espio, still suited in his modified Protoss flight suit. "You didn't deserve this, Espio. rest well." The saddened fox cub continued deeper into the Chamber of Memories, seeing a number of familiar faces: soldiers of the Freedom Fighters, as well as civilian Mobians, many of whom had been massacred by the ravenous Zerg forces.  
  
When Tails reached the back of the room, he gulped in anxiety and fear. The final shrine was significantly larger than the others, more decorated, with a definitive beauty about it. With deliberate hesitation, the young fox cub gathered all his courage together and walked forward, fighting back tears as he approached the magnificently-crafted deathbed. Inside, preserved in all her natural beauty, was the jet-black Sandra. Tails could not hold back any longer: he slumped down on his knees, fevered tears staining the deep-tanned fur as he mourned for the vixen. A sudden glint of sapphire blue caught his attention: with a sniff, the fox cub wiped his moist eyes, and whispered to himself the memorial inscribed on the blazing sheet of Khaydarin crystal.  
  
"In this memorial shrine rests The pure soul of Lady Sandra Prower, Who gave her life to protect the free Of Mobius in their darkest hour."  
  
Tails couldn't speak. he couldn't feel the tears running down his cheek. Shaking with grief and sadness, his fingers brushed across the inscription. A scream of deep, agonizing emotion ripped through the trembling mouth of Miles, and suddenly he fell aside, surrounded by an enchanting blue aura, and his consciousness escaped into a dream.  
  
*****  
  
Sonic rushed towards Sandra's grave, and cried out in concern when he reached the shivering fox cub. "TAILS!!" With little effort, the worried hedgehog lifted Miles, who had become lighter than air, and carried him away from the Chamber of Memories, silently listening to the whispers of his unconscious friend. Sally met them halfway in, and looked into Sonic's eyes. Instantly, she knew what to do. With natural speed and agility, she raced off through the corridors, in search of Amy, while Sonic returned his weightless companion to his quarters.  
  
*****  
  
Amy, unaware of Tails' plight, was watching in fascination as the Protoss worked tiredlessly on Mecha Sonic. They hadn't been able to rebuild the body: the self-destruction of Mecha Sonic had been too powerful. However, the advanced technologies employed by the remarkable race of psionics enabled them to load the iron warrior's consciousness into one of their probes. It was a small machine, outfitted with a single optical sensor, and made mobile by a small anti-grav engine. The probe had also been modified with speech transistors, to Mecha Sonic's relief.  
  
"Why did Sonic help me?" The machine enquired, still disoriented from his near-destruction. Being created for the sole purpose of Mobian conquest, and with his memory removed, Mecha Sonic had little knowledge of true emotions, and had trouble comprehending some actions and feelings. Amy smiled and replied, understanding the robot's confusion.  
  
"Sonic may have been your rival, but that doesn't mean he hates you." The probe stayed silent for a short time, taking in the straightforward answer. He was beginning to understand his long-time enemy, and the mechanical warrior was taking it all in like a youngster, eager for information. Amy obliged willingly, feeling a certain kinship to the wrecked android. "In fact, Sonic respects you, as he respects any of the Freedom Fighters. What you did was brave. after the things you have been through."  
  
Mecha Sonic laughed then, a polite chuckle. "Your words are kind, Amy Rose. I only wish." A hesitation of obvious regret took the disabled warrior before he finished. ".that I had not been such a coward earlier." Amy stayed quiet, expressing her respect and gratitude for the sacrifice the iron fighter. However, their conversation was cut short, as Fenix strode into the room, close behind Tassadar. "Indeed, Mecha Sonic. your actions were incredibly brave, and worthy of recognition among the greatest of time's warriors!" Tassadar performed the Protoss sign of respect, bowing his head slightly. Fenix dismissed the technicians, and held up their work. It was of Protoss height, covered in bristly, blue-as-night fur. Silver streaks ran down the center of a vast length of dark, spiky hair, which felt both silk-soft and razor-sharp at once, coming right down to knee-height of the figure. Deep emerald eyes glittered brightly, unmoving behind narrowed eyelids. Mecha Sonic was speechless with realization, and Amy looked at the slightly trembling probe.  
  
"What's wrong, Mecha? Who is that?" The concerned Amy Rose asked the stricken robot. Fenix smiled and nodded to the probe, which turned to Amy slowly, its sensor never leaving the prone form on the steel technician's table. Deep inside her heart, Amy could sense that the once-malevolent machine was actually weeping. Mecha Sonic was sobbing in his soul, between amazement and awe as he answered her.  
  
"It's. me."  
  
END  
  
After a planet-shaking struggle against Chaos Wraith, the hedgehog cousins Sonic and Shadow, with the hedgehog Marine Sonar, prove to the evil machine that evil cannot win. In an attempt to escape, Mecha Sonic suddenly takes over, and chooses to obliterate himself than to let Chaos Wraith abuse his powers further. Elsewhere, Sandra is killed during a forced landing, and is revealed to be the mother of Tails!  
  
Back on the Protoss flagship, Mecha Sonic's consciousness is reactivated inside a modified probe, while technicians work on a new body. Elsewhere, Tails discovers the truth about Sandra, and loses consciousness. Will Tails be able to deal with the loss of his family? What connection does the mysterious new body have with Mecha Sonic? Will the Chaos Wraith regain his strength in another galaxy? Read on in Chapter 6: Origins! 


	7. Origins

Mechanical Monstrosity Chapter 6: Origins  
  
Sandra Prower rests this day, eternally at peace. In my heart, my mind and soul, my memories shall not cease. For when a friend so loved, so true, has passed to heaven's gate My grievances feel selfish, for though her final fate Was violent, and untimely - indeed, baseless at most I know she watches over us - to you, my friend, a toast You feared not death, nor pain or strife, for always in the end A goodness lies in every heart, and within their soul's a friend!  
  
Memorial to Sandra Prower, written through the heart and soul of Sonar Spine, preserved forever near the fallen vixen's shrine.  
  
*****  
  
Sonic pressed a moist towel across the fevered brow of Miles Prower, quietly listening to the whispered conversation that his closest friend had began in his dreams. Silently, he prayed to every ancestor he knew, and hoped that Amy would be able to help the comatose fox.  
  
*****  
  
Mecha Sonic, whose programming had been transferred into a modified Protoss probe, was shaking slightly, affected incredibly by the lifeless body of the unknown hedgehog. Amy gasped aloud, with a sudden realization at what her mechanical companion had just said. "Mecha. this is. you?" Amy practically breathed out the question, unable to take her eyes from the dark figure. The handicapped warrior's optical receptor flashed black, the equivalent of a nod.  
  
"How. no one knew. only my creator." The awestruck robot whispered, unable to speak properly out of sheer surprise. Fenix nodded slowly, and listened intently as Mecha Sonic began to remember his past.  
  
*****  
  
'I was born many years before Sonic and his siblings. in fact, I'm a little older than Queen Aleena herself. I was the youngest hedgehog of my family, with an older sister, a big brother, and my parents. Minika was always the sensible one, and always tucked me in at night. She was a pretty young lady, yet she was also tough. Nobody ever got to my big sister, without walking away bruised! Nika never yelled when I was around, though. she was always careful to keep herself in check around me.  
  
My brother was kinda like my sister. protective and fun to be around. He was a little older than Nika, and much taller. I'd forgotten his name for almost a decade. Konokei was his full name, though he shortened it to Konei when mother died. Konei always acted like the oldest brother, standing up for me and Nika. I remember one time, when Nika and me were being bit out for coming home late. Dad was really angry that night, what with all the abductions happening. Konokei, seeing the dangerous mood our father was, stepped in and took all the blame himself.  
  
It was late one night, though, that dad got really weird. He didn't yell or even talk, like something too terrible was happening for him to imagine. Me and Nika were told to hide in the basement, and Konokei was given an old sword to protect us with. Dad had locked the door behind us, but when the crashing and yelling and screaming started, Konei burst through. We followed close behind, and saw something terrible. Our dad was kneeling on the floor, holding his head like it was in extreme pain. When big brother got close to him, dad attacked him. They both fought for a long time, but brother's sword got broken, and he was hurt really bad.  
  
When father looked at Nika and me, I saw a dark, crazy look in his eyes. When he started moving towards us, I picked up the broken blade and jumped on his back, driving it deep. He fell and. never got up. I killed my own father, to save my older siblings. Well. one of them, anyways. Konokei was dying, in front of our eyes. He smiled for a bit, ruffled my hair, and just fell asleep. I never managed to wake him back up. On that day, I vowed to protect my sister, and to be as strong as my brother was. That was just a couple of weeks before the Robotnik war began.  
  
We joined up with the Freedom Fighters, and for a couple of years, we managed to hold his forces at bay. Then, during a special mission, me and Nika were sneaking into one of Robotnik's factories to blow it up. A group of Mobians ambushed us, throwing grenades and bombs. We dodged most of them, but the last one was. fated to hit. Nika knocked me out of the way, taking the blast herself. She was practically immolated. blood and fire was everywhere. I was hurt quite a bit too, but Nika was worse off. Robotnik himself came then, and took both of us.  
  
When I woke up again, big sis was in a stasis pod. Robotnik told me that her situation was critical, and she'd have to stay in there to live, until he could create technology powerful enough to restore her. He then proceeded to tell me about how the Freedom Fighters had betrayed me, and left us to die. I was angry then, and believed every word. He offered me strength, through the use of his robotic technology. I accepted, and soon underwent vast bio-mechanical modification.  
  
Robotnik made me stronger and faster than any Mobian had ever been before. I was his most advanced warrior, and only the idea of vengeance drove my mind. I hunted down the Mobians responsible for my sister's injury, and killed them all without remorse. However, Robotnik soon became more and more open about how he planned on using me to take over Mobius. Naturally, I didn't say anything, as the madman held my sister in stasis. It was upon meeting Sonic, though, that I knew the truth about the Freedom Fighters.  
  
Sonic was faster than me, and definitely had a great deal of strength. No matter what I did, nothing could stop him: Not even when I was charged with the Master Emerald's energies. I realized then that the Freedom Fighters hadn't been the cause of my grief. Those Mobians had been hired by Robotnik himself. I turned on him, under the guise of a malfunction, and wreaked havoc upon his forces. I was eventually destroyed by a direct hit from his secret weapon, the Death Egg, but then my auto- repair systems kicked in.  
  
It turned out that, for everytime I was destroyed, the auto-repairs would enhance my molecular structure, making me more organic. Also, my strength and speed enhanced dramatically with the repairs. That was when I was attacked by Chaos Wraith. It immediately took control, feeding off my hatred for Robotnik and my lack of strength compared to Sonic. I wanted power, and received it through a terrible pact. The xenomorph invasion was a device of the Chaos Wraith, designed to eliminate the stronger elements of Mobius and elevate my power through the deaths of others. Thankfully, Sonic stopped me once again, at the cost of his own life. The rest you already know. I repaired myself again, came after you guys, and Chaos Wraith took over. *****  
  
'Now then, Mecha. it's time for you to live again.' Fenix nodded to the modified probe, and Amy respectfully took her leave of the two. Before she left, Fenix called back to her. 'Amy, you ought to return to Sonic's quarters. Something has happened. Tails is in pain.' Amy didn't reply. At the mention of her closest friend's name, she bolted, running with all the speed she could muster to discover what was happening to Tails.  
  
*****  
  
Soon enough, running through the corridors, driven by instinct towards her living quarters on the Gantrithor, Amy bumped forcefully into Sally. The two fell none-too-gently to the steel floor, landing with a resounding thump. Amy recovered even before the pain registered, and set off towards the Mobian dormitories, not even noticing Sally Acorn. The ground squirrel princess would have followed, but a voice began speaking to her. A voice she wanted to - needed to - listen to. This was because it was Sandra Prower's.  
  
*****  
  
Within an amazingly short time, Amy had reached her destination, and was crying softly over the comatose Tails. Sonic, Bunnie and Shadow stood nearby, each of them worried. Sonic thought of Tails as his closest friend, and would have done anything to spare him this pain. Bunnie, like many of the other Freedom Fighters, had seen Tails as the innocent youth that they all fought for. Even Shadow had his own thoughts concerning Miles' condition: His connection with Gerald's Perfect Lifeform project had yielded an uncanny link between himself and his blue counterpart. He'd sacrificed himself to save Mobius, and had changed since the resurrection. One thought drove through the dark hedgehog's mind: Tails is too young. let the innocent survive.  
  
*****  
  
Sonar had been there as well. he felt bound to protect Miles, just as he'd supported Sandra, the kit's mother. However, something had been nagging at the back of his head, screaming for him to find Sally. Eventually, the silver hedgehog had complied, and was racing through the corridors at supersonic speed, searching for the ground squirrel. "I don't think this is coincidence. I think Sandra is guiding us, somehow!" That one thought spurred Sonar into overdrive, and he rocketed around the hallways and chambers of the carrier, following instinct to Sally's location.  
  
*****  
  
Amy looked to Sonic, tear-stained face paled with concern as she wordlessly asked the hedgehog for an explanation. "Amy, do you remember Sandra?" Amy nodded, recalling the strikingly-beautiful vixen that had lost her life in the forced landing of Sally's ship. "Well, Tails is grieving for the death of someone close. his mother." Sonic turned back to Tails, as Amy slowly let realization sink into herself. Without hesitation, she'd embraced Tails, crying as she tried to bring him back from his nightmares.  
  
"Tails? Please, wake up. don't leave me alone!" Tails stirred, but it was not in response to Amy Rose's sobs. He was reliving the destruction of his village. his seperation from his parents. the death of his father. the frightening shadow called Chaos. it was a whirlwind of pain, fear and hatred. What scared Amy was the look in Tails' eyes. the beautiful, sparkling radiance of her lover were blank and cold. Amy's head rested on his white-furred chest, and she sobbed herself asleep.  
  
*****  
  
Sonic and Shadow left the room quietly, the former nodding to Bunnie to keep watch. Her reply was a quiet whisper, but clearly audible. "Shore thing, sugah-hog." The half-mechanized rabbot waved her real arm at the departing hedgehogs, who half-heartedly waved back as they left. Shadow gave Sonic a patronizing look, which caused Sonic to laugh pathetically.  
  
"Bunnie's called me that since we saved her from Ro-butt-nik." Shadow himself gave a rare laugh, glad that Sonic had not lost his almost-arrogant attitude. Then, turning stone-serious again, he gave Sonic a what's-going- on-now kind of look. Sonic wordlessly produced the Chaos Emerald of Energy from his pack, which continuously crackled with electricity. "This little jewel saved countless lives today. the Zerg don't seem intelligent enough to use them, but I feel that there's something controlling them." Shadow nodded, and began relaying his own information.  
  
"From what I've heard from Zeratul, there is an Overlander called Kerrigan, who seems to have become the Zerg's mistress." Sonic gave a light curse. Overlanders had proven to be trouble since the days of Julian Kintobor, who was better known as Ivo Robotnik. "She is cunning, but also incredibly powerful. a hybrid of Zerg and Overlander. Things get worse." He added, seeing Sonic's grim expression. "The Protoss have confirmed that Chaos is heading towards the Zerg system. it's likely that it intends to control the Zerg through Kerrigan." Now Sonic and Shadow alike shivered with the same fear: Both knew the Chaos Wraith was dangerous alone, as were the Zerg. Combining the feral alien hordes with the lethal intellect and sadism of their enemy would certainly mean the destruction of the universe!  
  
Shadow then noticed a burning resolve behind the lightning-quick eyes. It seemed to take Sonic's fear and throw it off some immeasurable chasm. "I think we'd best start collecting Emeralds. something tells me they're going to become our ticket out of this mess!" Sonic flicked the Energy Emerald into his backpack, before the pair of hedgehogs bolted with incredible speed to Tassadar's quarters.  
  
*****  
  
Sonar was keenly watching and listening to the situation between Sally Acorn and Sandra Prower's spirit. The Mobian princess was wreathed in a crystalline blue aura, not unlike that heavenly energy that had surrounded Sandra. A melodious voice spoke to her, and it seemed only they could hear it. "Sally, you know of the seven Emeralds?" The speechless ground squirrel nodded, and the vixen's essence began her story. "Each Emerald is linked to a pre-ordained Chosen. These figures are Mobians of unknown and indetermined destinies, who have the ability to unlock the deepest secrets of the gems." Sally only thought for a short time, before a question escaped unbidden through her lips.  
  
"Sonic. he is one of the Chosen?" Inwardly, she could feel that Sandra was nodding confirmation. It was obvious that Sonic had some deep affinity with the Chaos Emeralds, but she hadn't any idea before that her beloved was directly connected to one in particular. "Do I. know all the Chosen?" Again, she could feel Sandra nodding, and Sally was respectfully quiet. Already she was beginning to guess at which Freedom Fighters could hold the key to the Emerald's full potential. Sandra laughed lightly, and Lady Acorn felt that the spirit wanted her to listen again. "Sonic is indeed a Chosen, though it is uncertain which Emerald he is meant to wield." Sandra's voice softened then, and a tinge of excitement could be detected in its tone. "Sally Acorn, you also have become a Chosen." Sally's mouth went agape, but she held her silence as Sandra continued. ".for I have passed a part of my soul to you. a Chosen who dies must pass on the legacy to another." Inwardly, Lady Acorn was already mentally asking 'Why not Tails?' The vixen laughed lightly, and realization dawned on the princess.  
  
"Miles. he is already a Chosen." It wasn't a question. she'd stated what she knew must be the truth. Sandra nodded, and Sally had another thought that crossed her mind. "The Heart of Mobius. it is a Chaos Emerald, isn't it?" How it could be possible, Sally Acorn never would know, but both Sonar and she felt what could only be an embrace. Sandra was gone, though. both realized they'd been given all the information they would need. "Sonar. I'll need your help." Sonar turned to her and nodded, understanding perfectly, before escorting her to the Shuttle hangar.  
  
*****  
  
"Yes. I agree, Sonic." Tassadar's flowing voice never ceased to bring awe to the hedgehog's voice. "Shadow and yourself would be performing a great task by retrieving the Chaos Emeralds. it could just stem the war's tide!" Sonic and Shadow grinned at each other, but Sonic's grin faded to open-mouthed fear as Tassadar delivered his own news. "One of the Emeralds, it seems, has attracted Lady Acorn's attention. she recently left for the Acorn Royal Palace with Sonar." Shadow caught Sonic, who slumped down in worry, grief and frustration.  
  
"Sally? Why'd she leave with Sonar? What could possibly have." Before Sonic could make the wrong connection, though, Tassadar's voice cut into his thoughts. Give your beloved more credit, Sonic. just before they left, Sandra Prower's signature was detected near their location. It didn't take long for Sonic to put two and two together, after that report. ".yeah. Sally did say something about Sandra talking to her, didn't she?" Shadow nodded, and Tassadar decided to give his own opinion.  
  
"I would suggest that you two continue with your own plans. I have sent Praetor Fenix and a regiment of our finest Zealots directly behind them." This calmed Sonic to no end. he had the utmost faith in the kind- hearted Protoss Praetor. "Also, Vector and Antoine have left to search Mobius for survivors. I believe that Lady Nightweaver is accompanying them." Sonic nodded, a little concerned for Antoine, but confident in Vector and Sandra. Before Tassadar dismissed the two, however, three familiar faces stepped into view.  
  
"Bro, if you think you're gonna hog all the glory." Manic smirked, the mischevious glint shining in his eye. ".check behind your back an' make sure nobody's listenin'!" The green-haired hedgehog socked Sonic a tough punch to the arm, laughing with anticipation at their next adventure. Sonia pouted lightly, running a hand through her pink hair, but chose not to speak. Sonic noticed her cheeks were slightly red, and looked askance at Manic, who smiled devilishly. "Sonia's hopin' we can find the Emerald of Creation, so she can wish back her boyfriend!" All three male hedgehogs laughed, and Manic winced under the furious slap that Sonia dealt him.  
  
"You're gonna need my help, if you're looking for Emeralds." Charmy's high-pitched voice cut the laughter short. "Nothing better to find gems of Chaos than a Chaotix!" All five of the treasure hunters nodded resolutely, and looked to Tassadar, who nodded his own assent. Wordlessly, Shadow, Sonic, Manic, Sonia and Charmy rushed through the corridors to their own shuttle. *****  
  
Tails was no longer alone, entrapped in Sandra's memories of Chaos Wraith's assault on their village. Another presence, a separate subconscious, had found its way to his mind. Tails gasped when he realized who it was: Amy Rose had come into his nightmare.With a cry of joy and happiness, the kit dashed towards his true love, who was running towards him, sobbing with relief and concern. They embraced tightly, emotions surging between them, and a thousand thoughts entwined between their moistening eyes.  
  
Both of them were suddenly sent hurtling backwards, thrown several feet by a terrible explosion. When they looked up, there was only darkness. the ground was blue-tinted soil, the sky a starless midnight, and the air cold and empty. A pair of eyes glowed in the dark. terrible, crimson flames of hatred. Then they both realized, as one consciousness, that Amy had not been the only one to stumble into Tails' mind. Strange cyan crystals were rising through the ground, and both Miles and Amy immediately guessed them to be Khaydarin.  
  
Upon closer inspection, though, the couple were horrified to discover that several figures were encased in the crystals. Sally Acorn, Shadow, Knuckles. even Sonic was trapped within the beautiful prison. A fifth was holding an unfamiliar Mobian, who couldn't be seen through the Khaydarin.jewel. A horrible, cruel voice hissed to them from the darkness, seeming to be all around them. "Chaos has gathered, the spirits aligned, and the final chapter of fate has been signed!" Chaos Wraith was changed, a shapeless mass of powerful dark energy, invisible in the midnight. Then, as the entity's red core gathered black power to itself, Amy realized that the starless sky was not sky at all. it was the spreading darkness of their final foe.  
  
Suddenly, the demonic being was completed. However, it was no Mobian that stood before them. This figure was at least twice as tall as Shadow or Mecha, and probably a full head beyond even that height. Its skin was incredibly dark, practically midnight-blue, smooth and slender, but with a defined muscular tone behind it. Its legs, which were pointing downwards, hovered gracefully above the ground. Four angel-feathered wings spread majestically, noiselessly caressing the still air to keep their master skyborne. They were all of different colour: One was fiery auburn, and seemed to be wreathed in flames; One was radiant gold, and was surging with lightning; One was blue as khaydarin, and looked frigid as ice; The last was silver, and shone lightlessly, glinting like steel. The wraith waved a hand through an unruly shock of deep chestnut hair, letting the length of it cascade down to the base of its neck.  
  
"I.I feel. incredible!" The Chaos Wraith whispered, gazing at himself through wondrous hazel eyes. Tails was taken aback. by all means, this being didn't look sinister or evil in any way! Amy felt her breath taken by the sight of their opponent. "Yes. I see. I hear. I touch..." Then Amy noticed the Chaos Wraith's face. it was expressionless, a void of soulless body. Their eyes made contact, and she could have sworn that sadness and fear was hiding behind them. Then, they slowly turned empty again, and both Miles and Amy shivered as his cruelty and malice returned. ".but. I still don't. truly. feel."  
  
The dark being was calm, peaceful. even as he unleashed a massive surge of dark energy towards them, a friendly smile was given to Miles Prower. Amy Rose felt, somehow, that this wraith did not fully comprehend what emotions were. but he knew what he should be feeling, were he complete. Unexpectedly, Amy felt that their enemy wanted to know sympathy, but it didn't know how. nevertheless, she found her soul and heart pulling her body in front of Tails. The smile abruptly banished, and it was definitely a pained look that the two saw on his face, before Miles yelled Amy's name, as the attack struck her. Both awoke simultaneously, one crying in imaginary pain, the other screaming out his beloved's name. Bunnie had slumped against the wall, but the noise had practically fired her into the ceiling. Before long, the sisterly rabbot was comforting Amy and Tails, gently wiping away the perspiration from their brows as she soothingly talked to them. "There, there, young'uns. only a nightmar'." The supportive half-rabbit blinked as the young Freedom Fighters shook their heads. To both the girls' surprises, though, it was Tails who spoke up first.  
  
"He was in my mind. Chaos Wraith slipped into my dream." Bunnie gasped in fear and concern, but Tails shook his head and continued. "I'd just met my mother, and we were talking about a lot of stuff." He gave a sideways glance to Amy before going on. ".the Emeralds, Floating Island, Acorn Palace. friendship. love." Both Tails and Amy blushed, and Bunnie nodded to the two, assuring them it was well-known and alright. "Thanks. well, it all got dark after a while, and He showed up. made me relive the night our village was destroyed." He shivered, but forced himself to continue. "Forced me to watch my father die, and my mother hurt herself badly to keep me safe." He couldn't continue anymore, and tears stained his face.  
  
Amy wiped them away with her soft hand, and gave her own account of what she'd seen. "I. I don't know how, but I was in Tails' dream too!" Bunnie gave her a shocked look, but let her talk. "We were together, alone, and He appeared out of the darkness. All our friends were trapped." She forced herself to continue her own experience in Tails' nightmare, despite the powerful images she'd witnessed. "I saw His real body. He looked like an angel, only much darker. He said something about knowing touch, but not feeling." Bunnie's eyes widened, and she thought deeply, even as Amy Rose finished. "I think that, whatever Chaos Wraith is now, He doesn't have a choice. I sensed sympathy and sadness, and an almost-friendly nature about him. hidden behind all the cruelty, malice and darkness."  
  
Bunnie Rabbot felt a lump in her throat before she spoke her mind. "Sonia told me that evil only exists because of loneliness. people who know friendship have strength enough to resist the darkness." She gave a deep sigh, and looked deeply from Miles to Amy. "I believe the Chaos Wraith has spent so much time alone that he has lost all emotion. he came apart." The youngest of the Freedom Fighters all nodded together, and embraced as one family. Then, the door slid open hastily, and a pair of familiar Mobians stepped into the room, breathless. Rotor and Rouge took a moment to regain their ability to breathe, before giving their report.  
  
*****  
  
Zeratul and Tassadar stared at the split-screen that made up their view of the situation, posted on the sizable primary monitor of their stateroom. With them were several other figures, Mobians of great stature. One was a mauve-furred hedgehog, with a head of shoulder-length, deep- purple hair. She was dressed in white, underneath a hooded travelling cloak. Her eyes sparkled with wisdom and energy. Another was wearing deep purple robes, and seemed to have an air of ancient lore about him. These were counted among the wisest and fairest of all Mobian; Queen Aleena, mother of Sonic, Manic and Sonia, and the intended ruler of the magical city Mobodoon, before the first war against Robotnik; and the Oracle, probably the single most knowledgeable being on the face of the planet. indeed, likely the galaxy's most learned creature!  
  
Others were present as well. Angela, the guardian of Tails, kept a quiet vigil beside Aleena. Geoffrey St. John looked in apparent awe at the royal figures around him. Most of his attention, though, was focused on an Overlander. This human had silver hair that fell to his knees, and sharp emerald eyes that glinted with countless secrets. He wore simple clothing: black knee-length leggings, a white sash around his waist, and a black vest. Underneath the vest was a smoke-grey tunic, which covered his arms up to his elbows, The outsider's skin was tanned, and a white scarline ran down over his left eye. Geoffrey, and indeed any Mobian, was somewhat distrustful of Overlanders. Even more so did Geoff St. John suspect him, when the human introduced himself.  
  
"It is an honor to be counted among heroes and legends." Geoffrey's eyes narrowed a little less. The Overlander sounded sincere, but that did little to ease the suspicions of the hardened Freedom Fighter. "I am Alan Kintobor, cousin of Julian Kintobor, and nephew of Gerald Kintobor..." Immediately, the convocation rose, as Geoffrey lunged towards Alan. A flurry of fisticuffs ensued, only to be deflected by the blurring left arm of the Overlander. The right arm busied itself by taking a gentle sip of mint tea. ".leader of RUNE."  
  
At this, several heads rose. even Aleena's. RUNE, short for the Resistance's Underground Network of Espionage, had been responsible for most of the more covert operations against Robotnik. Their work had included safeguarding those who'd defected Robotnik's armies, sabotaging the power of the most guarded cities, and it was rumored they'd even been working on devices to cure roboticized Mobians. The idea that one of Ivo Robotnik's own family was a major resistance leader stunned everyone. excepting the Oracle.  
  
"Alan has been helpful to our cause since the beginning. It was Alan that originally learned of Julian's treacherous plans, and set the origins of the Resistance." Geoffrey looked incredulously at Kintobor, before returning to his seat. "He is present because, firstly, he is the only known survivor of RUNE." Another stunned silence, and a pained look from Alan, before Oracle continued. "Secondly, he knows an amazing number of secrets that were hidden even from ME." Aleena stared in amazement from Oracle to Alan. Geoffrey's jaw dropped in a much more active reaction. Angela was deep in thought. Only Tassadar and Zeratul seemed unfazed, though it was obvious they'd been surprised themselves. "In particular." Alan spoke up again. His voice was crystal-clear, yet barely above a whisper. "I have definite information regarding the Chaos Emeralds, the Space Marines, and. personal data. that only concerns my cousin's prodigy." Another silence followed, but before anyone could reply, Kintobor directed a question to Tassadar. "Speaking of which. how is Miikkori?"  
  
*****  
  
Mecha Sonic slowly came back to consciousness. When he managed to open his eyes, which felt unusually heavy, he took in the almost-blinding white with awe. They were emerald green, and the light actually caused them pain. With a number of blinks to wipe away the coloured haze that had filled his vision, he sat upright. A midnight-blue limb, long and slender, flexed experimentally, before throwing an experimental punch. It struck the air with infathomable speed, and the apparatus on the other end of the room actually shook from the vibrations. Leaping off his back to his feet, he noticed with interest that the table he'd been lying on was covered in deep scratches. They'd actually done it. Mecha Sonic was scrap metal, a piece of dented, bloodstained metal. He'd been reborn. he was Miikkori, sole survivor of his tribe, frequent victim of irreversable fate. Now Miikkori lived, and Chaos Wraith would beg forgiveness for the pain it had dealt to his family and friends. But first, Miikkori could only do what was natural: Roll up into a ball and cry real tears. Tears for the blood that had been spilled through his body. Tears for the hardships he had been unprepared to meet. Tears for the indescribable joy that had been given him, with the gift of mortal existence. 


End file.
